Intuition
by Evie Warner
Summary: Some secrets are best left buried. Other secrets refuse to die. Professor Oak has been hiding the corrupt data on Ash's Pokédex for a long time, hoping the day would never come in which he would need to use it. Torn from his journey and forced upon a path that could lead to his destruction, Ash has no choice but to fulfil this destiny, lest the entire Pokémon world be destroyed.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"_This is Elaine Hoffman reporting to you live from Cinnabar Island, where roughly an hour ago, the citizens of Cinnabar were sent into a state of panic when it was announced that the Island's famously known Volcano, previously thought to have been inactive, was set to erupt._

"_Thankfully, the entire Island's population was evacuated in time, and it is safe to say that there were no casualties, though unfortunately, the entire landscape of Cinnabar was destroyed by the eruption, leaving hundreds with no place to go._

"_Cinnabar Gym Leader Blaine commented on the situation as, and I quote, 'This is shocking, to say the least. Cinnabar has always been a safe place to live, and the volcano, though it has infamously caused disaster in past events, has been inactive for decades. I will find the reason for which Cinnabar sadly met it's demise, but for now, there's really no telling what could have happened to cause such unpredicted violence. I can only be thankful that no one was hurt, much less killed.'_

"_Sources have confirmed that it is highly possible that these were in fact _not_ natural causes, a large fact being the sudden state of emergency the Island was placed in. A representative of the well known Pokémon Mansion stated that there was nearly no warning, and no possible way to predict the forecoming, only getting just enough of a warning to contact Gym Leader Blaine, who managed to bring the citizens of Cinnabar to safety._

"_As of now, the future plans for Cinnabar are unknown, as the now homeless citizens are being relocated to nearby towns, such as Fuschia City and Pallet Town. The Cinnabar Gym will be relocated at some point in the near future for the sake of young League Trainers, but in the long shot, Cinnabar's fate is currently ambiguous._

"_This is Elaine Hoffman, signing off._"


	2. Chapter One

**Author's Note:** I just want to put this right here before I forget: this takes place when Ash returns from Sinnoh. Where the last episode of Diamond and Pearl ends is where this begins.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokémon, and I'm not making money off of this. Satisfied?

* * *

_Intuition_

**Chapter One**

"There's Pallet Town. Let's go, Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

That said, sixteen year old Ash Ketchum instantly sped off in the direction of his home with Pikachu at his side, keeping an even pace with his trainer. The elation was running high with the anticipation of returning to the place in which their journey had began.

Running down the dirt paths he knew so well as a kid, Ash eagerly soaked up the nostalgia and allowed his mind to race with the countless new memories he'd aquired from Sinnoh, stemming from the moment he, Pikachu and Aipom had arrived in Sandgem Town, only for Team Rocket to fulfil their daily routine of trying - and failing - to capture Pikachu, which had led to his newfound friendship with the optimistic Co-ordinator-to-be, Dawn, and her proud starter Pokémon, Piplup.

Needless to say, their budding friendship had been strengthened upon the return of Brock, who, Ash recalled with a grin, had managed to unintentionally find another being to keep him from flirting with the many unsuspecting and identical Nurse Joys and Officer Jennies in Croagunk.

As with the other regions he'd explored, Sinnoh had brought new friends, adventures, and even a new rival, Paul. And it was with a slight frown that Ash thought back on how his first, and previously only, rival had chosen to become a researcher over a trainer, leaving Ash to stumble through the Hoenn region without someone to try and best. It was a move that had stunned Ash, but strangely enough, had also spurred him to do better - if only to show Gary that he was the better trainer after all.

Running and jumping over a fallen tree branch blocking his path, it was with a jolt that Ash recognised the very path beneath his shoes was the very one he'd set out on to start his journey. In other words, the very same path he'd used a clothes line to literally drag a very stubborn Pikachu down, whilst adorning pink rubber gloves.

Of course, their lack of cooperation had landed them in a rather sticky situation with a flock of angry Spearow, which, ironically enough, was the event that began their friendship.

It had also been the day that a very angry red head had begun following him around, demanding payment for her destroyed bike - courtesy of Pikachu. And, with a small, amused smirk, Ash remembered that paying her back was something he had yet to do.

Then again, thinking about it, Ash really was in some debt bike-wise, as Pikachu had managed to start the tradition of frying the bikes of each of his female travelling companions. Though in a sharp contrast from Misty, May and Dawn had been nice enough to see that each incident had, in fact, been accidents.

"Pika?"

Being brought out of his musings by the familiar call of his Pokémon, it was then that Ash realised how he'd steadily come to a halt just outside of his neighbourhood. Though he often forgot in the midst of the excitement of a new journey that awaited him, this was the moment that Ash hated the most.

Today had brought several goodbyes. First it was Dawn, who was remaining in Sinnoh for a while before she would be starting her new journey in Hoenn, a region that had nothing else to offer for Ash. But then, which had come as a shock, Brock had announced that the next big journey would be one that Ash would be taking alone, for the Breeder had instead chosen to take the advice of Nurse Joy and become a Pokémon Doctor.

It was a path that Ash knew Brock would go down successfully; in all their travels, Brock had shown on multiple occasions that he was more than capable of nursing injured Pokémon back to health, not to mention his incredible care of both his family, and his travel companions. But even so, Ash couldn't help the selfish wish that Brock had chosen otherwise, and decided to accompany Ash to yet another region.

Ash shook his head of the thought. Yes, he was thrilled that Brock was fulfilling his dream, but it was with a slight jab to his chest that he realised that at long last, the 'Original Trio', as several had dubbed them, were finally going their seperate ways.

It was strange, really. During Brock's short absense when Ash had gone to the Orange Islands, meeting another lifelong friend in Tracey Sketchit, Ash still had Misty. And when she had (somewhat reluctantly) returned to Cerulean City to take over the Gym Leader duties from her sisters, Brock had long since returned.

Looking down at Pikachu, who was tugging on his pant leg with a concerned expression, he cracked a weak grin. "I was just thinkin', it looks like we'll be starting a new journey alone, huh, Pikachu?"

Finally discovering the reason for his trainer's sudden withdrawn mood, Pikachu started to feel the slight depression Ash was experiencing. His pointed ears drooped a little, as he hummed to himself, pondering how different things may be now that Brock was gone.

And it was with a slight shock that the electric mouse looked up to see his trainer instinctively jump into a challenging stance, and a large, genuine grin replacing the smaller, forced one.

"C'mon, Pikachu," he challenged, "I'll race you to Professor Oak's!"

Deciding not to dwell on his Pikapi's seemingly bipolar emotions, Pikachu immediately mirrored his pose, the momentary depression vanished, and responded with an eager, "Pika!"

As though the previous ten minutes of pondering had never happened, both trainer and Pokémon bolted down the road, now heading in the direction of the home of Professor Oak, which was visible from any point in the quaint town.

Feeling the sudden burst of adrenaline firing through his veins, Ash easily brushed his previous concerns away. Today had brought many goodbyes, but no farewells; both Brock and Dawn were leaving to pursue their own dreams, but why should that mean they would never meet again?

But that was the thing. It didn't. Though those particular reaqquaintances had been fairly brief, both Misty and May had returned at some point after leaving the group, and who knew what awaited in the future?

The lab becoming ever closer, and beats of sweat starting to trickle down his forehead, Ash felt that same adrenaline pushing him further, willing him to steadily overtake Pikachu, who had been several paces in the lead.

Yes, friends and rivals alike would come and go, but the latter part would never be permenant. No matter how long the wait, Ash knew that eventually, they would always reunite.

And that thought pleased Ash more than he would ever know.

_Intuition_

* * *

In their determination to beat each other in their childish bet, both Ash and Pikachu had made it to the lab in just under ten minutes: a new record.

Both of them panting and with sweat beading on their foreheads from the final run up hill, Ash found himself leaning against the front door of the lab with his right arm, while Pikachu opted for a much less dignified choice of collapsing on his stomach upon dragging himself upon the door step.

They remained in their chosen positions for a minute or so, in which Ash's breathing had evened out, and he couldn't resist the urge to direct a smirk as equally childish as the bet towards Pikachu. "I win," he teased.

Much to worn out to argue otherwise, Pikachu used what remained of his energy to crack open one eye to look at his trainer before slumping down further and letting out a defeated, "Chaa," honestly not caring enough to start the '_No you didn't! Yes I did!_' argument that usually happened around about now.

Thinking along the same lines as Pikachu, Ash silently agreed. "So," he huffed slightly, his heartbeat still quite rapid. "You ready to go in, Pikachu?"

Offering a weak thumbs up of agreement, Pikachu managed to push himself to his feet, stumbling slightly as he battled a sudden head rush.

Following his tradition of not knocking, Ash swung open the unlocked door to the lab, greeted once again by an empty, silent hallway. "Professor!" He called out, cupping his hands around his mouth for an added effect. "It's me, Ash!"

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu imitated, mirroring his trainer's hand motions.

The seconds ticked by with no response, and Ash tapped his chin in thought. "Maybe he and Tracey are out back, Pikachu," he mused. "D'you think we should go see?" Of course, he was already making his way to the extensive gardens of the lab as he said this; Pikachu close behind.

Peaking through the open living room door as he passed it, Ash could see from the barely steaming coffee mugs on the table and the red standby light on the television that the room had been recently occupied.

"Professor Oak?" Ash called out again. "Tracey?" Still no answer.

Frowning to himself, Ash half ran towards the back door, which promised the presence of at least one of the occupants of the lab due to being ajar, and stepped out onto the patio, scanning the nearby area. Though the fields were alive with a countless variety of Pokémon wandering around, conversing with one another, and even a few mock battles, Ash's line of sight was devoid of any human activity.

"Weird .. " He mused, Pikachu mirroring his concern. "Where d'you think they are, Pikachu?" He asked, looking down at said Pokémon, who shook his head.

"You could always turn around and find out," came a familiar voice that caused Ash to jolt in his unprepared state.

Turning around sharply to face the direction of the voice, Ash found himself staring at Tracey, who was lugging a large sack of Pokémon food over one shoulder, his headband slipping down over his eyes slightly. "Whoa, Tracey," Ash gaped, having genuinely been caught off guard by his sudden presence. "I didn't see you there," he added sheeplishly.

Tracey pushed his headhand up so that he could see Ash well enough to note the changes in the young trainer. "It's good to see you, Ash," he said with a smile, dumping the sack on a pile of others. "You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you. How was Sinnoh? Though honestly, I wasn't expecting you back so soon."

"Oh, yeah, the ferry got to Vermillion this morning. I've been travelling all day," the younger said. "Pikachu and I decided to come here before going home to see my mom. By the way, where's Professor Oak?" He added.

"The Professor? He left about twenty minutes ago," Tracey informed, leading Ash back into the lab.

"He left?" Ash yelped, "Where did he go? And when is he coming back?"

"Well, I don't know about the last question, but I can answer the first," Tracey said, opening the fridge and pulling out two cans. "Soda?" He asked, not waiting for an answer before he tossed at Ash, who, surprisingly, caught it.

"Thanks, and yeah, where is he?" Ash inquired once more.

Tracey led the way into the living room as he spoke. "I don't know if you saw the news," he sat down on one of the two sofas, with Ash and Pikachu occupying the one opposite, "but in any case, it's pretty major. A few hours ago the volcano on Cinnabar Island erupted."

Ash looked up so suddenly, his already fizzed up can of soda splattered over the rug. "Are you serious?" He yelped, paying no attention to Pikachu, who had been in range when the can of soda nearly exploded and now grumpily settled himself on a couch cushion after shaking his fur clean.

Tracey nodded. "Yeah, and the Professor only heard about it half an hour ago, but when he did, he ran right out of here." He took a sip of his soda before continuing. "He shouted something about helping with the evacuations, but he didn't say when he was coming back."

"So it's really that bad?" Ash asked in astonishment. "They had to evacuate the whole island?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Tracey said, frowning a little. "From what I've heard, the entire island was destroyed in the eruption, but thankfully no one got hurt. The Gym Leader keeps a careful watch on the volcanic activities, so there was enough of a warning to get everyone to safety before the volcano was able to erupt."

By this point, Ash had forgotten about the soda. "Whoa .. " He mused sadly, then asked. "Where is everyone gonna live?"

Tracey gave a half shrug. "That's one of the things that Professor Oak is trying to help out with. I'd say that for now they're going to be staying in nearby places such as Fuschia City, and maybe even here in Pallet Town, if there's enough space." He paused for a moment, then added, "I guess it's a lucky thing that Cinnabar wasn't heavily populated. Otherwise that could have caused a lot more issues .. "

_Intuition_

* * *

Not much longer after, recieving the startling news about Cinnabar, Ash found himself back on the path that lead to his house. With the promise to help Tracey with the evening work at the lab, they'd both decided for Ash to first go home and visit Delia, who had yet to learn that her son was back.

Pikachu had decided to stay at the lab in order to catch up with his old friends, so Ash was making the trip alone, but while his body insinctively walked in the direction towards his home, his mind was clouded with thoughts that constrasted sharply with the ones from earlier that day; he was actually mildly surprised to think that he'd only arrived in Kanto that morning.

Gazing over at the quaint beach that resided south of Pallet, if he squinted, Ash could just about make out the smoke rising from Cinnabar. No doubt it would be gone within the next hour, and it struck him as odd that he hadn't noticed upon arriving in town.

I wonder how it looked during the eruption ..

It wasn't the regret of missing some sick thrill that Ash thought this, it was the familiar pang of compassion that he'd felt so many times during his six years of travelling. Sometimes he would wonder if anyone else felt as strongly as he did about this stuff. Even though Ash knew full well that there was no possible way in which he could have prevented the catastrophy, he couldn't help but feel the guilt of not being able to try.

Ash shook his head in a vain attempt to push these thoughts away. He'd always been told by his mother to never dwell on the negative and instead focus on the positive, but at times like these, seeing the negatives was just too easy.

Exhaling deeply, Ash picked up his pace slightly as his house came into view. From the distance he was currently at, he saw Mimey watering the plants in the front garden. Though he and the psychic type Pokémon often had their bouts of rivalry, mostly in situations involving Ash's mom, it always made him happy to see the little guy. The knowledge that his mom had such a caring form of company was a comfort to him, and eased his worries that he'd been away too long.

Breaking out into a run, Ash then skidded to a halt by the white painted gate, swinging it open and offering a word of greeting to Mr. Mime, who enthustastically waved back and sent a "Mime!" of welcome before returning to the flowers.

Chuckling to himself in knowing that some things would never change, it was with newfound elation that Ash swung open the front door and exclaimed, "I'm home!"

"Ash, is that you?" Came the instant reply, followed a few seconds later by Delia gliding down the stairs, positively beaming as she swept her son into her arms. "Oh, Ash, I've missed you so much!" A few tears of joy streaked down her cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home today? I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow at least!"

Returning the hug with all his might, Ash replied, "Pikachu and I made pretty good time. We got back to Kanto this morning."

There was a squeal of delight. "Oh, sweetie, it's been so long, and you've grown so much!" She broke the embrace to hold her son out at arms length. "Look how much you've grown! Goodness, you look like a completely different person!"

Ash ducked his head with slight embarassment. "I wouldn't go that far .. " He grinned and asked, "How have things been while I was gone?"

The smile faltered ever so slightly from Delia's face. "Well, aside from the obvious, there really isn't anything new."

Ash sensed what she meant by this. "Do you mean what happened on Cinnabar?"

Delia's eyes widened as she recalled the event. "Oh, Ash, it was so horrible!" She exclaimed mournfully. "I was out in the garden, and I could see all the smoke. I didn't have a clue what was going on until I saw the report on the television. I'm just relieved that no one got hurt."

"Yeah, me too."

There was a slight pause. Ash bit his lip, unsure of what to say at this point, when Delia suddenly perked up a little.

"By the way, where is Pikachu?" She inquired.

"He decided to stay at the lab," Ash informed her. "He saw Bulbasaur outside, and once they got together, I couldn't convince him to leave," he gave a slight chuckle at this, along with Delia.

"Well, I was hoping to see him when the two of you got back, but Professor Oak always said that Pokémon become like their trainers," she replied cheerily.

Ash just rolled his eyes jokingly at the comment. "By the way, I was gonna help Tracey out with some stuff at the lab. Since Professor Oak is gone, I said I'd help him out, but I wanted to come home and visit first."

Delia stepped back slightly, placing a hand over her heart in mock horror. "Ash Ketchum finally offering to do chores?" She asked in somewhat real disbelief. "You _are_ my son, aren't you?"

A pink tinge glazed over Ash's cheeks. "Mom .. "

_Intuition_

* * *

Several miles south, a lone figure stood on the shore of what remained of Cinnabar. The barely existant waves lazily lapped at the soles of his shoes, an action that he would have avoided last week, but couldn't care less about today.

It was quiet. He could have chuckled at the irony of the situation if he wasn't so disgusted with it. Cinnabar was always a rather peaceful place, though with the daily arrivals of overconfident trainers arriving in the port with the aim to win their next badge, things were often quite lively. And this was merely one of the several reasons why the Fire type Gym was - or rather, had been - situated in the volcano; Blaine liked his peace and quiet from time to time.

But to get it like this? Blaine scowled, clutching his walking stick with such a ferocity, he was mildly surprised that it didn't break in his hands.

_You're a filthy excuse for life_, he thought bitterly, his unwavering gaze fixed upon the sea route leading to Pallet Town. _Mark my words, things will be much different this time around .._ he vowed, his eyes flickering up to the sky, where a distant roar had emitted itself.

Knowing full well what to expect within the next minute or so, Blaine tipped his hat forward and turned away from the waves. He walked up the untouched sands of the beach, stopping when he felt a strong whoosh of air against his back, followed by a muffled, but heavy thump of something landing where he'd been standing previously.

Not needing to turn around to confirm who the new arrival was, Blaine simply mused aloud, "You certainly took your time, didn't you?" He allowed himself a humourless chuckle. "And here I was informed that Dragonite could travel over a thousand miles an hour. How foolish of me."

"What's foolish is making jokes at the time like this." Came the agitated reply. Blaine simply scoffed lightly and turned to face the one he was speaking to.

"And what would you suggest?" He inquired, tapping his foot absent mindedly while the Dragonite was recalled to his Poké ball. "It's been a while since I've had a good laugh, and in our current situation, it's now or never."

Professor Oak sighed wearily and placed a hand to his forehead, as though hesitating in the action to run it through his hair. "Thinking like that won't be helping matters. Haven't I always told you not to dwell on the negatives?"

Blaine scoffed again, ceasing his foot movement. "And if things will be anything like last time, if we don't dwell on the negativity, it may very well cost us a lot of innocent lives," he half snapped back.

Professor Oak's hand dropped to his side. "I don't need to be reminded, Blaine." He stated, an edge of pain to his voice. "But at least this time, we have a rough idea of what to expect."

"That's what they always say," Blaine monotoned, turning away and heading back up to where the town's centre used to stand. Professor Oak automatically followed. "If you believe you know what to expect, it could blind you to what's really happening. And you can be sure as anything that I will do everything in my power to see to it that we do _not_ make the same mistakes as before."

"I agree, but at this point, we're as blinded to the truth as we'll ever be." Professor Oak winced as charred china doll on the ground crumbled into a small lump of ash when he nudged it with the tip of his shoe. It was like walking into the past. "After all, we have no leads, no connection, direct or otherwise, no clue as to it's motives - "

"Now, you know that last one isn't entirely true," Blaine cut in grimly.

The Professor came to an abrupt halt, looking quite pained. Blaine almost regretted his bluntness. He placed a hand on the senior's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have - "

"No, it's fine," Professor Oak said, letting out a drawn out sigh and regaining his serious composture. "If anything, we should be expecting it. It would be foolish not to."

Blaine nodded in reluctant understanding.

"So, anyway," the elder continued, "should we inform the other Gym Leaders?"

Blaine paused for a moment. "I think," he responded slowly, "we should only let those who were involved last time know about this."

Professor Oak raised an eyebrow in uncertainty. "Do you think that's a good idea? After all, the more people we have on our side, the better chance we'll have if things get out of control," he reasoned.

But Blaine shook his head. "That makes sense in one way, but in another, it would be best if we kept this whole situation under wraps. Telling the truth will only cause panic to the general public, and if less people know, then it's all the more reason for them to be left alone."

Knowing Blaine was correct in his assumptions, Professor Oak just nodded. By this point, having continued their stroll, both adults now found themselves standing at the entrance of what remained of the infamous Pokémon Mansion. It's sturdy build had protected it well, but being one of the places closest to the eruption, it was now little more than a solid black, crumbled in lump of brick and metal.

"What's your plan, then?"

Blaine turned to his right, and indicated towards something in the distance. "If you'd seen the news, then you'd know I have plans on moving the Gym to Seafoam Islands," he stated, turning back to face the elder, who looked skeptical.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to burden yourself with Gym Leader duties?" He asked.

"I don't see any other alternative. It's either that, or I help out with the evactuations. And as selfish as it sounds, unless I keep the Gym as close to Cinnabar as possible, then I'll be pulled away. And if anything strange goes on over here, it'll be missed."

Professor Oak hummed in agreement, then turned away to face the ruins of Cinnabar. He couldn't be sure if it was the mocking nostalgia, or the painful jab of realisation that things could very well end in the same manner.

Cinnabar. It was a risk filled plan to begin with, but considering the only possible alternative at the time, he wasn't sure he regretted it. Though he couldn't bring himself to admit it aloud, the Oak still had nightmares involving what had happened over twenty years ago, when Kanto had all but become a war zone, and Saffron City had gone up in flames. More lives had been lost in the chaos than anyone could have predicted, and a majority of the fault stemmed back to one of the only people who was able to bring it to an end.

"We were ignorant," the Professor replied after a long period of silence. "Whether or not either of us will admit it, it was pure ignorance on our part to even hope that this day would never come." He opened his eyes, which he hadn't realised he'd closed, to find his gaze resting upon the speck of land in the distance; the most he could see of Pallet Town.

"And it looks like we're going to pay for it."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Eh, I can't say I'm thrilled with how this turned out, so chances are I'll edit it at some point. The next chapter should be a lot better. But if you liked it, then it would be awesome if you left a review :D


	3. Chapter Two

**Author's Note:** Well, here it is: chapter two. I'm amazed I got this far, actually :D Oh, and just to confirm this: Ash is sixteen, Gary is seventeen, and Tracey twenty. You guys can decide on the rest. Thanks for the reviews, by the way.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokémon. But I can dream, can't I?

* * *

_Intuition_

**Chapter Two**

Neither figure had moved in the past several minutes, not since Professor Oak's all too accurate statement.

Though the creeping silence was eventually broken as Blaine let out a heavy breath of air that was lost in the wind. "So, now you know my plan, what's your's?" He inquired, as though the earlier words hadn't been said.

The elder hadn't yet taken his gaze off of Pallet Town. "What else is there to do?" He asked rhetorically. "Since we have no idea as to what comes next, I suppose the only thing to do right now is make sure the citizens of Pallet Town stay safe." He chose not to mention any particular names. "After all, that's the first place it would have any reason to strike."

Blaine nodded slowly. "Then shouldn't you be heading back?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Professor Oak shook his head. "I don't think we'll have much to worry about until it gets dark," he said, though he looked slightly uncomfortable while saying so. "But then again, I think it would be a good idea if I did leave. I wouldn't say there's anything I can do here, and time is of essence."

But as he went to leave, he was stopped by Blaine's voice. "You didn't really answer my question." He stated. When the elder turned slightly in a silent confirmation for him to continue, he asked, "You aren't expecting to go back and hope everything will work out just because you're there, are you?"

"I learn from my mistakes, Blaine."

"So then, what are you planning?" He pushed. "Evacuating the entire town? We both there no other danger from that thing," he jabbed his walking stick in the direction of the volcano, "and sooner or later, everyone's going to know that."

"Moving the entire town won't be nessesary," the elder claimed. "As long as Ash, Delia and Tracey are out of the way, then there will be one less thing to worry about."

"What is the other alternative is destroying Pallet Town? And what about your grandson?" He inquired further, knowing it would strike a nerve, but not doing it out of spite. "Gary, wasn't it? What about him? After all, you've known for over a decade that he plays a fair role in all of this."

Professor Oak turned to face him fully. "Right now, Gary is in Sinnoh," he informed the other. "And it's not information I tend to spread around mindlessly, so, for now at the very least, he should be safe."

Blaine couldn't argue there. "I sincerely hope so," he continued absent mindedly.

The elder tensed, clenching his fists. "You know full well that Gary's safety is my number one priority," he stated firmly. "I'm not losing another grandchild."

Blaine smirked ever so slightly. "If that's so, then you should thinking a little more into it." He tapped his stick a little impatiently. "Yes, he's safe now, but what happens if, and very likely when, he gets dragged into all of this?"

A muscle twitched above Professor Oak's eyebrow, but Blaine didn't waver, instead awaiting the other's response. It was quite a long minute before he did. "There's more to it than that," he sighed sadly. "After everything that happened, Gary is all I have left now. If I lost him .. "

Though he trailed off, he didn't need to finish his sentence for Blaine to understand. He raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell him the truth?"

There was a pause before the Professor shook his head. "No, I don't think he should know," he decided. "Maybe someday he will learn the truth when he is ready to handle it. But for now, he is too young. I can't burden him with that knowledge."

Blaine almost seemed to scowl in disapproval. "There's never going to be a right time to tell him, Oak." He nearly growled. "The more you postpone it, the harder it's going to be. And you know he's going to find out some day, whether you like it or not. Wouldn't you think it was better for him to hear it from you than by someone who wants his blood?"

There was only silence, but it was enough of a response.

Blaine sighed. "Well, if that's what you feel is best - "

"It _is_ best," came the rather fierce reply. Then the elder sighed. "I can't deny that I'd rather be the one to tell him, but trust me, if you had gone through the same, then chances are you would agree with me."

Blaine just shook his head. "Sacrifices are often neccesary," he reasoned. "Is it really such a bad trade? Giving up that ignorant innocence he has in exchange for knowing something that could very well save his life?"

Once again, he recieved no reply.

_Intuition_

* * *

"Hey, Pikachu, are you out here?" Ash called out once he'd stepped out onto the back patio at Professor Oak's. With the earlier distraction, the raven haired trainer had forgotten about visiting his Pokémon and introducing them to the ones he had aquired in Sinnoh.

There was a short period of silence following his question, which was broken by the call of "Pikapi!", and the rumbling sound of at least several dozen Pokémon running his way.

And, as per usual, the moment Ash turned to face the rapidly growing sound, a certain Grass type enthusiastically tackled him to the ground with the usual cry of "Bayy!"

Being unable to get back to his feet while Bayleef was in her fully affectionate mode, nuzzling her head against his cheek while remaining seemingly unaware of how she was quite literally pinning her trainer to the ground, the only actual movement Ash could make was turning his head slightly to the right, which, by a lucky coincidence, happened to be the direction in which the rest of his Pokémon stood. Each one shared the mixed expression of excitement for their trainer's long awaited return, and amusement at his usual misfortune at being on the recieving end Bayleef's Body Slam. That Ash had yet to recieve any broken bones from this sort of thing was nothing short of a miracle, even with his usual knack of doing things.

Though once Bayleef had been prised off, with both the realisation that she was limiting her trainer's ability to breathe under her weight, and with the assistance of several of the other surrounding Pokémon, the rest of the gathering had been individually greeted, and then came the usual routine of introducing them to his newly aquired Pokémon in Infernape, Torterra, Buizel, Gible, and Staraptor.

Once again, the Pokémon socialised with one another, and with Pikachu making the head introductions, Ash simply stepped back to watch the scene before him. Seeing his various Pokémon so happy and accepting of new friends filled him with a happiness that was vastly different from the other kinds he felt from time to time. Though it wasn't too disimilar from the pride he got for his Pokémon upon winning a battle, or even from smaller, almost childish things like when his mom baked her famous chocolate chip cookies, it was more along the lines of when he met and befriended Brock, Dawn, May, Max, and, once she'd somewhat forgiven him for the bike incident, Misty.

It was times like these that helped him in moments of negativity, but when a sudden chill worked it's way up his spine, Ash was distracted from his thoughts. It was a fairly warm, muggy evening, enough so that children in the neighbourhood were running through the sprinklers without the slightest chill, but Ash couldn't ignore the knowledge that the air around him had inexplicably gotten a lot colder.

With goosebumps actually raising in his bare arms, Ash's gaze returned to his Pokémon, wondering if they felt this same drop in temperature. But from the looks of it, as far as they were concerned, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Almost shivering by this point, and only vaguely surprised that he couldn't yet see his breath, it suddenly dawned on Ash that he had felt like this at several points in his journey. It was an eerie feeling, no doubt, and one that struck him more noticably during the times he was caught up in his thoughts, like he had been a few minutes previous. It was one of the few feelings that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

The feeling of being watched.

It was like Ash had somewhat of a sixth sense to these kind of things, and it was one that told him that whoever was watching him, they were neither friend, nor foe. But it was enough to tell him that whoever it was, they weren't anywhere near the comical level of the Team Rocket trio.

He wanted to turn around and search every direction for the source, but something beyond his own sense of shock was making it so that Ash couldn't move a muscle. Unable to even tense up, his heart gradually began to increase it's pace, making Ash feel more vulnerable than the times Pikachu had been snatched straight from his shoulder.

Even his breath seemed to have been stolen from his lungs, and breathing was now impossible. Flecks of black cornered his vision, though whether it was from his sudden lack of oxygen, or from something else entirely, Ash couldn't tell.

The ever growing feeling of someone, or something, approaching him from behind was becoming more prominent, and from the looks of things, his Pokémon had yet to notice the intruder.

Something hot then scorched his back, searing through his clothes, and seemingly scalding his skin, but in his frozen state, Ash couldn't even yelp in shock. Something was breathing onto him.

His heart continuing to beat faster and faster, every muscle in his body still refused to cooperate, and with the only known help oblivious to what was happening, Ash swore he could feel the tip of something deathly sharp tracing up his spine ..

"Ash!"

The sudden call of his same jolted Ash's body back into function, and on instinct, he spun around so fast, his hat toppled right off his head.

But there was nothing. Nothing but the open fields of the Corral, and even a number of Pokémon playing around.

It was also then that he realised the surrounding air was back to it's normal warmth, and he was suddenly devoid of the feeling of laying down on a hot stove. It was like those few, almost insane minutes had never happened.

"Hey, Ash!"

As the voice sounded once again, Ash blinked in momentary confusion, then turned to face the source. A short distance away, Tracey was standing by the back door with the earlier sack of Pokémon food in his arms. "Uh, yeah, Tracey?" Ash responded, figuring he should at least say something rather than stand about mutely.

It was enough for Tracey to continue. "Could you help me with feeding the Pokémon? The bowls are in the store room," he informed. Ash nodded in confirmation.

"Yeah, sure. I'll go get them," he offered, hurrying off in the direction of said room, if only so he could think about what just happened.

Though the air was still normal, and he could move about just fine, as he carefully picked up a stack of coloured, plastic feeding bowls and headed back outside, Ash couldn't shake the feeling that something, somewhere, was still watching his every move.

_Intuition_

* * *

Several hundred miles north in another region entirely, several rare, naturally armored Pokémon were scampering around playfully in an extensive green field. While some seemed to be involved in a game he couldn't put a name to, a few feet away, examining the scene, was a certain auburn haired, green eyed researcher.

It had been almost a year since the Shieldon had been revived, and they'd happily settled into their new home in Sandgem Town. After the incident with Hunter J a few months back, both Gary and Professor Rowan had reconsidered their decision of releasing the Pokémon into the wild so soon, and while they'd initially been concerned that the armor Pokémon would have a hard time adapting to lush greenery rather than a rocky terrain, they'd actually seemed more than happy to return to the lab they enjoyed so much.

While Gary had been training them to survive in the wild, it had quickly become apparent that they much preferred to play than train. Gary supposed he couldn't blame them; after all, they were only young. Though from the looks of it, they didn't plan on moving to another residence anytime sooner.

His gaze followed the youngest as it made it's way to the base of a large oak tree, on which it started rubbing it's face, doing it's utmost best to polish the armor it so proudly wore. His lip curled slightly at the memories of when the Shieldon had first been allowed out into the gardens following their resurrections. At that point, he and Professor Rowan had rather limited knowledge on the prehistoric Pokémon, and within a month, their habit of polishing their faces on the trees had begun to wear down the forest habitat. And this had brought with it a rather large amount of angry Grass, and Flying type Pokémon, who were less than pleased to have their homes steadily demolished.

So, to counter this problem, Professor Rowan had several oak trees planted on the reserve, and with the help of several Roselia and Cherrim, they'd grown faster and sturdier than usual, so now they were able to endure the daily wear of Shieldon's armor.

Not too far from the small Shieldon, Gary noticed Umbreon lying beside another one of the trees, the shadow of which was just large enough to shade her head, while the rest of her body baked in the sunlight.

Gary rolled his eyes. He'd always thought it rather ironic how a Moonlight Pokémon enjoyed sunbathing so much. Perhaps she'd chosen the wrong time of day to evolve. He chuckled slightly at the thought.

"Gary!" Came a rather gruff voice from behind him, snapping him out of his mildly humorous musings. He turned around to see Professor Rowan by the back door to the lab. "You have a phone call," he informed. "Your grandfather wants to talk to you."

"Gramps?" Gary pondered, already at the Professor's side. _This is pretty unexpected_, he thought, before asking aloud, "He didn't lose his reading glasses again, did he? I mean, there's only so many times you can say it before someone will start to remember they're always on top of his head."

Rowan chuckled at the comment, silently agreeing, but choosing not to voice his opinion. "He's on the video phone in the study. Call me if you need anything," he said.

"Thanks," Gary replied, following the instruction so that he came to a halt in Rowan's study, where his grandfather noticed him through the video link. "Hey Gramps," he greeted. "It's good to see ya."

A slight smile tugged at the Professor's mouth. "And you, Gary. How are things with you?" He inquired.

Gary shrugged indifferently. "Same old, same old. The Shieldon practically demolished the habitat, so we've got a lot of angry Starly outside," he summarised, then noticed the concerned look on his grandfather's face. "Is something wrong?"

"Wrong? No, no, everything is as fine as they can be, given the circumstances," the elder said, then recalled that the chances were that Gary didn't yet know. "I don't suppose you've heard of what happened on Cinnabar Island, have you?" He asked.

Gary shook his head in the negative. "No, why? What happened?"

"Well, to put it simply, the volcano the island is known for had a rather sudden eruption. And as a result, the entire island has had to be evacuated. There's pretty much nothing left, save for the Pokémon Center, which is where I am now."

Though surprised at recieving such news, the final comment was what struck Gary's attention. "You're on Cinnabar right now?" He asked, unable to shake the slight feeling of worry. "What if there are aftershocks? If you're near the volcano when it happens, it could be really dangerous!"

The elder waved a hand in reassurance. "Calm down, Gary, there's nothing to be concerned about. I'm perfectly safe. Though there is something I needed to run by you," he said.

"What's that?" Gary asked, unsure of what he could do to help at this point.

The Professor cleared his throat. "Well, like you mentioned, there is a risk of aftershocks," he explained. "And as such, it could mean that Pallet Town is at risk of being hit. Earthquakes or tsunamis and such." When Gary nodded, he continued, "And as far as I known, Ash is coming home either today or by the end of the week, and I don't want him, his mother, or Tracey to be caught up in any of this."

Starting to catch on to what his grandfather was saying, Gary asked slowly, "Gramps .. do you want them to come here?"

Instead of denying it, like Gary had expected on some level, the Professor nodded. "Yes, that's what I'm inquiring," he confirmed.

The younger Oak almost jumped in mild shock. "You want to send them here?" He demanded. Honestly, his previous question had only been asked because with their current conversation, he couldn't see any other reason for his Gramps to be calling him about it.

His grandfather seemed to sense his confusion. "I know it seems a bit hasty, but I think it would be safer if they were away from Pallet Town," he added quickly.

"Yeah, but do they really have to be away from Kanto?" Gary questioned. "It seems a bit much, don't ya think? Wouldn't it be easier for them to stay with one of Ash's friends? I mean, that breeder one only lives in Pewter .. "

"Gary," the Professor continued, "is this really such a problem for you? Whether you'll admit it, or not, Ash _is_ your best friend, and Delia is like family."

"It's not that," Gary assured. "It's just weird that you want to send them to Sinnoh. Ash only just left."

"I understand why you think so, but all of Ash's friends are busy enough as it is, and Professor Rowan already said he was okay with it."

"Then why are you asking me?"

"The same reason Delia would ask Ash if you had to stay with them."

Gary couldn't argue there. "Well, sure, I guess. As long as Ash doesn't bother me, I don't have a problem with it."

Professor Oak breathed a relieved sigh, and smiled at hs grandson. "Thank you, Gary. I know it seems a bit much, but I'd feel safer to have all of you away from any danger."

Gary offered a smile in return. "No problem, Gramps."

"That's always good to hear." Professor Oak said, "Now since that's settled, could I talk to Professor Rowan for a moment? I just need to run something by him."

"Sure, I'll just - "

But as though waiting for his cue, Professor Rowan was already reentering the room. "Gary, the Shieldon are getting a little agressive again," he informed his assistant. "Do you think you could calm them down?"

The young researcher smirked. "I'm on it."

But as Gary was about to leave, Professor Oak's voice stopped him. "Gary," he called, and when his grandson was facing him once more, he continued, " .. just be careful, okay?"

Though slightly confused by the sudden concern for his safety, Gary could sense that his grandfather wasn't going to elaborate. "Yeah, course I will," he promised.

It was only when Gary was was out of the room, and the door was shut that either of the Professors spoke.

"Keep an eye on him," Professor Oak said, watching the space where Gary had disappeared off to.

Rowan turned to face the screen. "You already have my word on that," he stated. "I will do everything I can to make sure he doesn't get mixed up in all of this."

The Oak let out a weak, partcial laugh. "If only he could hear us now," he joked half heartedly. "He'd think I was some kind of over protective Chansey."

"Better safe than sorry, I say," Rowan reasoned. "Though I personally think we should be worrying about the other one; Ash."

The other nodded slowly. "Indeed, that boy does have the knack of attracting trouble."

"Like metal to a Magnemite," Rowan agreed, and they both chuckled slightly. "Though neither of us can deny that they can both take care of themselves," he added.

"At their age, so could I," the Oak mused on a sadder note. "I always could, but look what that did to help. I'm still breathing, but I was powerless to help others. Even my own family .. "

Though he couldn't imagine what the Oak was feeling, Rowan could still sympathise. "Don't beat yourself up over it," he consoled. "You still have Gary, and you still have the others. As long as they're here, I can promise that no harm will come to them."

Professor Oak offered a small smile. "I appreciate it."

Once they'd said their goodbyes, the Oak disconnected the call and leaned back in his chair, sighing heavily. "More than you'll ever know," he mused.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The plot thickens .. slightly. This was more talk, less action, but it will be reversed in the next chapter. Well, kinda. And yes, the Pokémon Center survived, just like in the games XD

Also, I really don't think Gary revived the Shieldon in the anime, but I'm the author, and in this fic, I'm gonna say he did. I mean, he revived an Aerodactyl. At ten years old! Is it really so hard to believe that he did it again? But if it condridicts anything, just ignore it.


	4. Chapter Three

**Author's Note:** Um, yeah .. Oddish is adorable. I want one :D

**Disclaimer: **Just in case you haven't realised it yet, here it is again: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

_Intuition_

**Chapter Three**

By the time night was rolling in, the pink tinted sky becoming shadowed with blackness, Ash and Tracey were tackling the final, surprisingly challenging task of recalling all the Pokémon on the Corral. It was challenging in the sense that many of the Pokémon wanted to stay outside during the night, which, for safety reasons, was only allowed in shifts, and in their attempts to get what they wanted, an all out battle of wit and strategy ensued.

While some of the less reluctant Pokémon seemed at least willing to cooperate, and some even helped search for the run aways, Ash and Tracey were stuck doing the most of the work, each dragging around a sackful of Poké balls, and doing their utmost best to outsmart the surprisingly quick variety of Pokémon.

Needless to say, it was a long, exhausting job; one that Ash was beginning to feel sorry for Professor Oak having to do everyday. Though how he managed to do this each and every evening was beyond anything Ash could imagine.

The two worked at a fairly uneven pace, though slowly, but surely, each Pokémon was found and captured, until all that was left to find was a rather crafty Oddish. But thankfullt, it wasn't much longer until Tracey had eventually located it buried in the vegetable patch.

Once the weed Pokémon had finally been called back into it's Poké ball, Tracey let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, that's the last of them," he called over to the younger trainer, dropping the now occupied Poké ball into the sack.

Hearing this, Ash breathed out his own sigh of relief and slumped back against a nearby tree. "Finally," he huffed, Pikachu mimicking his actions against his leg. "How does Professor Oak do this everyday?"

"Pikaa .. " Came a call of agreement.

Heading back over to the raven haired trainer, Tracey hauled him back to his feet and replied with, "I guess having a Dragonite has it's advantages outside of battling."

Ash nodded slightly. "I guess so," he mused. It sounded reasonable enough. "When d'you think he's coming back?" He then asked.

Tracey paused for a moment as he thought about it, then shrugged. "Now that you mention it, he didn't really say. I was just doing some chores around the lab, when he suddenly ran straight past me, shouting that he was going to Cinnabar," he explained. "I didn't even get a chance to ask before he was gone."

The trainer frowned slightly. "It's kinda weird for Professor Oak to just run out like that. I mean, he usually says how long he's going away for."

Having led the way back to the lab, Tracey was now opening the door to the Poké ball room, Ash walking in behind him. "That's true, but I guess maybe he doesn't know," he said, dropping the sack on the floor and beginning to sort the Poké balls into their aqquired shelves. "After all, you can't really predict something like this, can you?"

Ash, now starting his half of the job at hand, shrugged. "I guess you can't." There was a slight pause before he added, "But it kinda makes you wonder why he went there in the first place."

Tracey turned around to face the younger. "What do you mean?" He inquired.

"It's just that he's a Professor," Ash explained, unknowingly abandoning his task to lean against the wall. "I mean, chances are there's already a lot of help with evacuations and everything, so I just don't know why he'd be in such a hurry to get there. And even with you here, it's also kinda strange that he just left his lab without much of a warning."

Humming a little as he thought this through, soon enough, Tracey came up with a conclusion. "Well, he didn't exactly say what he was going there for," he said. "So for all we know, he's doing something other than helping the residents move."

"Like what?"

Tracey shrugged. "Could be anything. But my guess is that he's trying to find out exactly what caused the eruption."

Ash tilted his head in mild confusion. "What caused it?" He repeated. "Don't those things just kinda .. explode?"

Choosing not to tease the younger on his choice of description, Tracey went on with his explaination, "Actually, it's very much possible to predict when a volcano can explode. There's various ways, but I'd say the easiest, and most common way is by monitoring any underground vibrations." By this point, he was copying the younger in leaning against the wall behind him. "Usually, you can get a fair warning to these kinds of things, but if you'd seen the news, they said that it was all pretty sudden. They barely had enough time to warn everyone."

"Whoa," was all Ash said in response to this.

Tracey nodded ever so slightly in return. "And they said that because it was so sudden, along with the minimal warning, they think that this may not have been a natural cause."

It took a moment for Ash to catch the implication. "You mean someone caused this?!" He yelped, jumping upright and startling Pikachu, who had been resting on his shoulder.

Seeing the younger's distress at the news, Tracey was quick to add, "They don't know for sure. At this point, it's still just a possibility."

Unfortunately, this did little to reassure Ash, who slumped back against the wall again. "It's still horrible," he said, after a moment of silence. "I mean, it's bad enough that all those people lost everything, but to think that someone actually caused all this .. "

When Ash trailed off, Tracey, feeling bad for his young friend, went over to him and placed a hand on his unoccupied shoulder. "Hey," he consoled, offering a small smile when Ash looked up at him, "I know it's a bad thing, but it could still be worse, right? Those people are still alive, and no one even got hurt."

Though Ash had long since realised this, it felt better to hear it from someone other than himself. "Yeah, you're right," he said, smiling in gratitude. "Things could always be worse, huh?"

_Intuition_

* * *

More or less half an hour later, when most of the Poké balls had been sorted into their correct locations, Ash was yawning with every other breath he took. As the trainer had been travelling for most of the day, and had recently spent the best part of the evening running after a wayward Oddish, Tracey decided he could finish up the rest of the job on his own, and insisted that Ash go home and get some rest.

Of course, this offer had been quickly accepted, and with Pikachu at his side, Ash said his goodbye and was on his way home.

Without the raven haired trainer around, the lab suddenly seemed oddly dark and quiet, almost to an eerie level, but Tracey decided that now he could finish sorting the Poké balls without any distractions. Though this was something easier said than done, as barely a few minutes later, he was alerted by the phone ringing, which cut through the settling silence quite violently.

He got up to answer it, following the ringing into the living room, and after pressing the call accept button, a familiar face instantly appeared on the screen.

"Oh, hey, Professor," the Pokémon Watcher greeted with a smile. "It's good to hear from you."

Professor Oak, though visibly tired, offered a smile of his own in return. "And you too, Tracey. How are things at the lab?" He inquired.

"The usual," Tracey informed. "Though you could have told me how hard it is to get the Pokémon to cooperate. It took me and Ash over an hour to find them all," he recalled in good humour.

The Professor rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh yes, I'm sorry about that. I suppose I wasn't really thinking about it at the time." He chuckled slightly, then asked, "And Ash is back? I didn't think he would be home so soon."

Tracey decided to fill him in, "Apparently, he's been travelling all day. He only got back to Vermillion this morning."

The elder raised an eyebrow. "My, my, he's never usually this eager to get home," he mused. "What's the occasion?"

Tracey just shrugged. "I guess he just wanted to get back," he guessed. "After all, he has been away for over a year."

"That sounds reasonable," the Professor continued. "Is he there now?"

Shaking his head in the negative, Tracey replied with, "No, he was pretty tired, so I told him to go home and rest."

"I can't say I'm surprised," the elder responded. "That Oddish wasn't giving you two trouble, was it? If it weren't for that one, I don't think recalling all the Pokémon would be nearly as hard. That little one gets the others all riled up."

Tracey laughed as he recalled the moment in which Ash had tried to sneak up on it from behind, only to dive head first into a mild Stun Spore. Thankfully, there was an antidote to it inside the lab, though Ash's wounded pride had only fueled his determination to catch the Grass and Poison type. "You guessed correctly, Professor," he confirmed. "It took about half an hour just to get that one."

"In the vegetables again?" Professor Oak asked, and Tracey nodded.

"Yeah, I think I would have missed it if it was with the carrots. But lucky for me it was with the pumpkins, so it wasn't hard to track down."

Chuckling slightly at this, Professor Oak responded, "Yes, I've had that problem more often than not." He sighed. "Well, in any case, I'm on my way back. Though I need to talk to you, Ash and his mother about something, and I think it's best if we all do it face to face rather than over the phone."

"Sure thing, Professor," Tracey replied. "Do you want me to call Delia and let her know? Ash should be home in a few minutes, so I could tell him, too."

There was a pause.

"A few minutes?" Professor Oak asked, then he looked worried. "Wait, when did Ash leave?"

Though confused at the sudden concern, Tracey looked at the clock on the wall, before answering with, "Uh .. about five minutes ago. Why .. ?" He trailed off once he saw how pale the Professor had become. " .. what's wrong?"

When the Professor suddenly shouted, in contrast to his usual speaking voice from only a few moments ago, Tracey almost fell out of his seat. "_Does he have his Pokémon with him?_" He urged.

Though stunned for a moment, Tracey managed to snap out of his state and utter a response, "Uh, yeah, I mean, he left most of them here, but he still has Pikachu with him."

Whatever colour had remained in the Professor's face was now gone. "Tracey, you have to go find him _right now!_" He snapped. "Go get him, stay together, and for Arceus' sake, no matter what happens, _don't go anywhere without your Pokémon!_"

Giving him no chance to reply, Professor Oak instantly ended the call, leaving Tracey frozen in shock. The Professor's outburst had shaken him, but not as much as what he'd said.

_What on earth was that about?_ He wondered, before he suddenly realised what had been asked of him, and jumped to his feet, not bothering to end the call from his side.

He ran for the front door, but just as he was reaching for the handle, he skidded to a halt and hastily reached into his pockets. They were empty.

Cursing under his breath, Tracey ran back into the storeroom and quickly snatched up his Poké balls, before rushing back outside, throwing the door open and, in his panicked state, forgetting to shut it.

Though he didn't have a clue as to what was going on, as he ran as fast as his legs could move, there was only one thought in his mind.

_Ash, whatever's going on, please be safe._

_Intuition_

* * *

A fair distance away, just arriving on the road where he lived, Ash was humming to himself as he kicked a stray rock into the ever increasing darkness. Before leaving the lab, Ash hadn't even noticed just how dark it was, but now, if it weren't for the flickering porch lights on the houses surrounding him, he wouldn't have been able to see his hands in front of his face.

Stretching his arms out behind him, Ash yawned loudly, after which his arms slumped to his sides. "I'm so tired, Pikachu," he murmured.

"Pikapi," the electric mouse cooed knowingly from his shoulder.

"I can't wait to just go to bed," he continued sleepily. "What about you?" He inquired, turning his head slightly to look at Pikachu.

But before the electric mouse could respond, his stomach grumbled loudly. And when Ash raised an eyebrow, Pikachu grinned sheepishly, hanging his head in embarassment.

Fortunately for him, Ash was admittedly far too tired to tease him about it. Even a little.

Before too long, Ash had pushed open the gate to his house, and was walking up the pathway leading to the front door. "Looks like the lights are off," he mused absent mindedly. "It's not that late, do you think mom went to bed early or something?"

Pikachu didn't respond, though his ears were twitching slightly as his trainer reached for the door handle.

As he did so, Ash realised instantly that something was wrong. Instead of twisting the handle and pushing the door open, the door simply swung forward slowly on it's hinges, from which it hung lopsidedly.

Both trainer and Pokémon stood staring at the door for a moment, confused at the state the door was in, before redirecting their gaze into the darkness of the house.

But is wasn't just dark. Everything was quiet.

_Too quiet_, Ash thought suspiciously, then leaned forward slightly and called out aloud, "Mom?"

Though his voice wasn't as loud as he would usually speak, in such deathly silence, it could have easily passed for shouting.

Even so, there was no answer.

Though his natural instinct was telling him to go and get help, Ash went against it, hesitantly stepping forward into his house, his heart starting to pick up it's pace, beating nervously in his chest.

All the while, from his trainer's shoulder, Pikachu's ears were twitching, trying to make out any sound, and his eyes were narrowed, squinting slightly to try and see in the pitch darkness. But it was pointless. Even his naturally enhanced senses couldn't pick up on anything.

Knowing this, without turning around, Ash reached for the wall behind him and traced the tips of his fingers across it to feel for the lightswitch. Since he wasn't looking - not that it would have made a difference - it took him a few moments to locate it, but as soon as he had, he flicked it on with a fluid motion.

But nothing happened. From what he could tell just by feeling it, Ash didn't think it was broken, but everything remained as dark as it had been. And knowing that the lights weren't working almost made everything seem darker, somehow.

Ash took a small, slow step forward, his foot barely leaving the floor, just in case something could trip him up, and called out in a louder voice, "Mom?"

Still, there was nothing. But just as he was about to call out once more in unison with another step, he felt something break beneath his shoe, sending a muffled '_plink_' through the dark space, and catching both Ash and Pikachu off guard, making them jump slightly.

Hastily shuffling back a little, Ash stared down at where his foot had been, squinting a little to try and make it out in the black shadows, even though he knew it was pointless. "Hey, Pikachu?" He whispered, as though on some level he was worrying that speaking in his normal volume would somehow make things worse. "D'you think you could light things up a little?"

There was an instant "Pika" of confirmation, and after jumping off his trainer's shoulder, landing rather awkwardly on the ground due to being unable to see where it actually was, it was with a louder "Chuu!" that the room was momentarily lit up with a flickering sphere of light coming from the electric mouse at Ash's feet.

Though the sudden glimpse of the room was brief, it was enough to make Ash recoil in horror.

As another purposely mild charge of electricity lit the room enough to see everything in front of him, Ash felt as though his feet had been rooted to the ground, and his heart had jumped up into his throat. As he quivered slightly in disbelief, Ash slowly took in the scene before him. The living room that his mother, and Mimey had always been rather stern about keeping tidy, the very one that Ash had been standing in just a few hours previous, was now unrecognisable.

As he got brief, flickering glimpses of the room due to the continuin bolts of electricity, Ash's eyes managed to adjust themselves somewhat in the light, and soon enough, he could easily make out the scene in front of him. The coffee table, which had been placed in the center of the room, had been violently thrown across the room, having landed somewhere in the space to Ash's left, chipped and broken in two, while the sofas and armchairs had been brutally slashed about, laying in tatters all over the room. The carpet had been ripped up, and the wood floor underneath was badly scratched at, sharp edges sticking straight up in potentially lethal angles, almost like it had been done on purpose.

Everything Ash's gaze landed on had been horribly maimed, slashed, shattered, and utterly destroyed, but soon enough, he found himself staring at the far wall opposite to where he stood. While the others, though baring countless jagged slashes, and even several cracks and dents, that very one was barely even standing anymore, having been torn right through, and making what remained of the door framed competely unneccesary.

As his wide, sienna eyes fixed unwaveringly on the destruction, Ash hadn't noticed he was trembling until he heard how shaky his voice was. " .. Pikachu?" He asked quietly.

The electric mouse, who was panting a little from the constant stream of Thunderbolts, replied with a breathy, "Pika?" and looked up at his trainer, feeling emotions not disimilar to his.

Swallowing hard, all Ash managed to stutter out was, " .. wh .. what .. ?" before he felt something tugging insistently on his jeans. He looked down to see Pikachu, whom he could just about make out due to his bright colouring, holding something up to him, which Ash could only guess was a piece of paper.

Immediately taking it in his trembling fingers and holding it close to his face, Ash could only just see that it was actually a photograph. One that had been taken, as he remembered vividly, on the day he'd left for Sinnoh. In the photo was Ash, his mom, Pikachu, Tracey, and Professor Oak at the latter's lab. Though he quickly saw that in whatever had happened, the photo had been torn almost completely in two, and most disturbingly, the tear had ripped cleanly through Ash's neck.

Feeling as though the room had suddenly gotten several degrees colder, Ash hesitantly knelt down and brushed his fingers along the ground where something had broken. Several pieces of something sharp jabbed his thumb, and he soon found the shattered remains of a photo frame accompanying it.

Just as he'd figured that it was what was left of what he had accidently stepped on, a cold chill overcame him when he touched a puddle of something wet.

Ash brought his hand up to his face, but couldn't see what it was in the darkness. "Pikachu .. ?" He asked nervously, and following the unspoken request instantly, another Thunderbolt lit things up, allowing him to see red stains on his hand. And when he looked up, silently praying that what he feared was wrong, he felt something similar to a stab drive into his stomach.

The very same dark red colouring was splattered all across the floor, the wall .. and even worse, a long trail was smeared from where Ash was kneeling, leading through the wreck that was once his living room, and towards a crumbling pile of debris.

"Pi!"

The sudden cry making Ash jolt in surprise, the raven haired trainer was about to voice his shock, when he saw Pikachu rushing forward, following the trail of blood. Without a second thought, Ash followed the electric mouse as quickly as he could, while remaining cautious. Stumbling quite a lot over what was left of the floor, and even managing to cut his arms a few times on the sharp pieces of wood that seemed to appear out of nowhere, Ash eventually made his way to his Pokémon's side.

Whatever had caused Pikachu to run off was clearly causing the electric mouse a great deal of distress, as he pointed towards the pile of debris, while desperately trying to explain the situation in his Pika language.

"Pikachu, what's going on?" Ash almost hesitated to ask.

Pikachu, seeing no other way to get his point across, charged up another attack, and Ash briefly caught a glimpse of a thin, pale pink arm that could only belong to a Pokémon that Ash knew very well.

"Pikachu, help me move this!" He urged, already heaving at the loose wood and metal. And with Pikachu hurriedly assisting him, it wasn't long before they'd both uncovered a seemingly lifeless Mimey.

Everything seemed to freeze for several moments as Ash stared in horror at the image before him. Various injuried were scattered over Mimey's body, ranging from bruises, to cuts, to a deep cut down the side of his face, oozing blood that was congealing over that side of his body.

Pikachu was the one to break the sudden frozen state he and his trainer had entered. "Pi?" He called quietly, ever so slightly nudging Mimey's arm, then flinching back as the Psychic type let out a barely audible noise of unmistakable pain. "Pi?" He asked in worry.

Enough time passed for Ash and Pikachu believe that Mr. Mime was gone, but just as Ash was starting to tremble in grief, Pikachu's call was answered with a weak, "Mime .. ?"

Both trainer and Pokémon turning to look at him, they saw Mimey's eyelids fluttering slightly, before he managed to open them, his eyes unfocused and bloodshot. It made Ash's heart clench painfully. But just as he'd opened his mouth to say something, the obvious struck him hard like a rock in the face.

"Mom .. " He breathed shakily, just loud enough for Pikachu to hear.

Turning around, his ears twitching slightly, Pikachu murmured a worried, "Chuu .. "

Suddenly finding it hard to breathe, Ash managed to suck just enough breath to ask shakily, "Mimey?" When it became somewhat clear that Ash now held the Psychic type's wavering attention, he quickly asked, "Where's mom?"

Wincing as he strained himself to move, Mimey managed to lift a hand a little, and pointed at something behind Ash, before he slumped back down in exhaustion, his chest heaving as he panted heavily.

As his fear at the possibility overpowered everything else in his mind, there was no hesitation as Ash hurried off in the direction Mimey had pointed at, scrambling over the various hidden obstacles, and navigating his way through the darkness in an awkward, crouched position on all fours.

With Pikachu several steps ahead of him as he hastily shifted through the surrounding debris in a desperate search, both managing to recieve several cuts from the seemingly endless wreckage, the electric mouse suddenly came to an abrupt halt, his ears twitching as he looked from right to left.

Ash waited impatiently, until the sudden exclaimation of, "Pika!" followed by the electric mouse grabbing hold of his hand and indicating to the left, which from Ash's position, he assumed to be in the direction of the kitchen.

Allowing Pikachu to guide him as fast as the two of them could manage, it wasn't long before Ash found his hand coming into contact with something that he immediately knew wasn't part of the ruined interior of his house.

Grasping it lightly, he found that it was soft and luke warm, but it was only when Pikachu created another spark of light that he realised what it was. In an instant, Ash's sienna eyes widened in horror as he found himself staring at the bloodied, broken form of his mother.

His breath seemed to catch in his throat as he stared unwaveringly at the scene before him, and for the first time since stepping into the destroyed remains of his house, Ash was grateful for the darkness. If there was enough light to properly see what was in front of him, he feared it would take a heavy effect on his sanity. But even so, that wasn't enough for him to forget what had already burned itself into his mind in the short flash that illuminated the room.

Delia was slumped back against the now tattered kitchen counters, every visible inch of her skin scarred with deep cuts, blood staining her once white skin, which had now been brutally beaten into an unnatural shade of dark purple. Her clothes had been ripped, and from the way her arm was so sharply bent, Ash knew it was broken.

With tears gathering in his eyes, it was her face that shook Ash the most. Delia had always been very pretty, but her features were now so swollen and bloody, she was barely recognisable as the woman Ash had spoken to merely a few hours ago.

In the time following, nothing existed to Ash anymore. Nothing but the battered form hidden from sight before his very eyes.

" .. mom .. ?" Had it been any other situation, Ash would have shocked himself in hearing how weak and utterly broken his voice sounded right now.

He had barely been able to hope for a reply, a word of reassurance, even a groan of pain, _anything_, but the silence that followed his broken plea stabbed Ash with an emotion he couldn't recognise.

Shaking harshly from head to toe, and the tears in his eyes starting to blur his already wavering vision, Ash reached out with trembling fingers to brush some of the matted strands of hair from his mother's face, having to tug slightly to break them from the drying blood that had crusted over them. But still, she made no signs of life. Even if Pikachu had provided as much light as he could manage, there was no way Ash would have been able to tell if she was even breathing.

There had never been a moment in Ash's entire life in which he'd wanted to hold Delia close, he wanted just one indication, just something to put a rest to the suffocating fear that it wasn't over, that his mother wasn't dead, but there was a greater fear in his mind that if he ever touched her, he would inadvertantly make something worse. Aside from her arm, Ash could tell that she had to have at least several other broken bones.

Forcing back his yet to be heard sobs, Ash managed to whisper in a voice that was barely there, " .. mom?"

But once again, he recieved no reply

"Pika?" The electric mouse cried, tears overflowing in his own eyes, as he touched her seemingly unbroken arm as gently as he could manage. "Pikachu?"

Yet the ensuing seconds passed without another sound, and a feeling not unlike the one someone would get from falling overwhelmed Ash. But just as the tears began to roll down his cheeks, the faintest moan of pain snapped him back to reality.

"Pika!" Came a sharp, urgent cry from beside Ash, as Delia's eyes fluttered ever so slightly.

Ash held his breath, barely allowing himself to hope, and with both his heart thundering, and his lips quivering slightly, he dared to ask, "Mom?" once more, this time in a louder, but barely compelled voice.

The silence that was beginning to set in once more was cut short as Delia's eyes slowly opened more fully. They were as unfocused and bloodshot as Mimey's, but after a few, slow blinks, they found her son's though the darkness.

" .. Ash?" She whispered in a voice so quiet, she could have simply been breathing. If it hadn't been so eerily quiet, even Pikachu would have missed it.

Reaching out in a reflexively quick, yet still somewhat hesitant movement, Ash gently touched her hand. "Mom, what .. " He choked on a sob, then barely managed to muster enough breath to continue. " .. wh .. what happened?" By now, his voice was lower than a whisper, but Delia seemed to have caught it.

It was obvious even without seeing that Delia was using every ounce of energy that remained in her body just to form the words she wanted to say. Her eyes scrunched themselves shut for a moment as she managed to open her mouth, but the moment she reopened them, she froze, her expression one of remembering a horrifying realisation. And even though he could barely see it, it wasn't an action that went unmissed by her son.

"Mom, what is it?" He urged, subconsciously managing to restrain himself from gripping her arm righter. He could feel her shaking in fear.

" .. Ash .. " She forced out, her breathing becoming much more laboured and wheezy. " .. run .. !"

Several things happened in the next moment.

Before Ash could even open his mouth to respond, everything around him seemed to kick back into gear, as a screeching roar pierced through the dark silence, making every nerve in Ash's body scream in pure agony. His eardrums felt like they were being ripped into several pieces, but just as he was about to reach up to clamp his hands over his ears, something quickly wound itself around his waist, snatching him up in a tight hold, and pinning his arms to his sides.

As the yell of shock escaped his lips, through the tremendous roar, he heard the scared, shrill cry of "_Pikapi!_" before whatever was holding him threw him across the room. He collided with the far wall, and pain radiated sharply through his entire body as he fell to the ruined floor, his heart beating so hard and fast, Ash could have sworn it was trying to grind it's way through his ribs and right out of his chest.

He forced his eyes open, though he could see nothing through the darkness, that is, until the sharp snap of electricity blinded him momentarily, the sound in unison with a furious, "Pika .. c_huuu!_"

Unable to move even slightly without being mercilessly tortured by the pain shooting through him, Ash blinked furiously, unable to stop the uncontrollable wincing in the sudden bright light, but all he could see through his pain hazy vision was a pitch black mass, which seemed to emit a snarl before it lashed out at the source of the attack, snuffing out the light at the agonised cry of "_Pika!_"

It was only through a second, weaker crackle of electricity that Ash saw something small and yellow being thrown brutally across the room like he had just moments ago, only this time, the resounding thump indicating that Pikachu had struck the wall was accompanied by a sickening '_crack!_'.

Suddenly regaining his ability to speak, Ash cried out in horror, "Pikachu!" as the form of his best friend collided with the floor, where he lay unmoving. In desperation, Ash tried to force himself to get up in an attempt to protect his fallen Pokémon, but as he tried, powering through the pain, he felt a harsh malevolent glare strike him, and it was with a terrifying realisation that the coldness freezing him to where he lay was the same one that had paralysed him at Professor Oak's lab.

_No!_ He shouted mentally, as he was physically unable to do so. _No, Pikachu! Dammit, please don't be dead! Please!_ Straining himself in every possible way to try and regain physical control of himself, despite knowing it was futile, tears flowed freely from Ash's eyes, as he silently pleaded, _This can't be happening!_

Ash had expected pain. He had assumed this was how he was going to meet his demise, but as the last of his energy burned away, a low, rumbling sound coming from somewhere in the darkness reached his ears, shaking him to his very core.

There was no pain, but what he was hearing now was something that only increased his fear. And it didn't take a genius to figure out what it was.

Laughter.

This .. this _thing_, whatever was in the room with him .. it was _laughing_ at Ash's futile attempts to break free.

The revelation both scared, and angered him, but in any case, he couldn't bring himself to care. With every last scrap of strength left in his weakened body, Ash yelled with all he could manage, "_Pikachu!_"

Everything suddenly seemed to speed up. Ash's yell of desperation became mixed within another, though this was one of pain. A roar shattered his ability to hear, and the darkness around him was beginning to weigh down heavily onto him, forcing him down into an eternally black abyss.

Ash knew what this meant, and he knew he couldn't fight it, but even in his paralysed state, he tried. If he hadn't shouted out, maybe he would have had the energy to fight it, but as a powerful blast of orange light destroyed his ability to see anything, the darkness that surrounded Ash overwhelmed him entirely.

The last thing he remembered was the distant, desperate call of his name, before he was dragged down into the unending darkness.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oh my .. that's not good, is it? Well, I did promise more action, so here you go. This was actually done yesterday, but it sounded way too derpy, so I rewrote it.

So .. if you like, please review. If you didn't, then by all means, go on with your life :)


	5. Chapter Four

**Author's Note:** I decorated my tree with Pokémon figures :D

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pokémon, I'd be rich. If you could make money from fanfiction, then we'd all be rich :)

* * *

_Intuition_

**Chapter Four**

He didn't know how long it had been. It could have been days, months, or even years, and the answer wouldn't have come as a surprise to Ash. All he knew was that he was floating. Or at least, he felt like he was, in an eternally black abyss. And that was enough information to satisfy him.

How he'd gotten here in the first place, Ash honestly didn't know. But, strangely enough, he quite liked it. Being in such a location, Ash would have expected to be cold, scared, and lonely, but on the contrary, he was feeling quite warm, content, and though there was no one around for as far as he could see, he didn't feel alone. As though someone was fairly nearby, and watching over him. It felt nice to feel this way, even if there was no proof that it was true.

In a way, Ash found himself wishing he could remain in this blissful place for as long as he dared, to just float about painlessly for the rest of his life. He couldn't find a reason to care. There was not a worry in his clouded mind, so, with his currently hazy logic, there was nothing wrong.

But that last thought .. somehow, while it seemed to make sense to him, Ash couldn't shake the incessant _itch_, for lack of a more accurate word, that it was all wrong. But no matter how he went about it, Ash just couldn't understand what it was, nor why he felt this way.

It couldn't have been more than a few minutes that Ash lingered on this before he simply gave in to that relaxing warmth once again, happy to drift off into that carefree haven for as long as he dared.

Though as he soon found out, it was easier said than done, for as soon as he had allowed himself to sink into the warmth, a sudden noise jolted his mind into an involuntary alert state, the overall feeling not dissimilar to how he'd dream he was falling, only to wake up suddenly in his bed. And alas, both times came with that inconvenience of being unable to drift back off into sleep.

But even so, he'd heard something. It took him a few moments to figure out exactly what it was, but eventually, it came to him.

He heard voices. They were not ones that he recognised, though maybe that was because they sounded so distant. Ash strained his ears to try and make out at least one word of what was being said, and soon came to the assumption that there were, in fact, two voices, though he still could not yet put them to a face.

Some time passed with those voices engaging in an unknown conversation. It was weird to hear it this way; the general effect was as though Ash had stuffed his head under a pillow to drown out the noise, while the persons speaking were each talking into a pillow of their own. Every sound they made was so muffled and warped, that Ash couldn't even tell if the ones speaking were male, or female.

The gender of the ones talking was not important, but though Ash was aware of this, the one ambiguous fact annoyed him for a reason he could not fathom. It was the small knowledge of having people near him, possibly even talking _about_ him, and he had no clue as to their identities. It urked Ash more than he would have cared to admit.

But at the same time, annoyance was a good motivator, and it was through his stubborn determination that he felt a light weight somewhere on his body. It was strange, as though he was suddenly partcially connected with some unnamed part of his physical self.

Though as time passed, the sheet of black which clouded his vision began to take on an almost red tint. It took a couple of guesses, but as soon as it appeared in his head, Ash instantly knew which was the correct answer.

What he was feeling now, what he could see; his eyes. Through his drowning consciousness, he had regained enough sense of himself to be able to see, even though his energy had been drained to the point that his line of sight was limited to the inside of his currently closed eyelids.

Closed .. that little fact registered in his mind. It must mean something. Was he sleeping? Just waking up?

With no idea as to the location of the rest of himself, Ash couldn't be sure of the answer.

It could have been a foolish decision for all he knew, but as time pressed on with nothing else making itself known, Ash's well known impatience was filling him up, and he soon became quite desperate to find out more about where he was. Though while opening his eyes had always been a fairly easy task, that is, if the mornings didn't count, even though he had yet to attempt it as of yet, he somehow knew it was not going to be a light hearted challenge. Not this time.

But yet again, his stubborn nature got the best of him, and he flat out refused to pass on the task.

He tried, but without access to his memories, and with no real idea as to what was going on, it made everything that much harder. It was quite surprising, really.

Though in any case, he felt a muscle twitch, and as he continued to focus on that tiny movement, slowly, but surely, a dim light became visible in the darkness. Somewhere in his mind, Ash was rather astounded at how hard it currently was to make his body function in the way he willed it to. His eyelids felt .. not heavy, but like something was holding them shut. Not unlike the few times Ash could remember in which he'd woken up to learn that his eyelids were stuck together with sleep. But then again, it was more of a feeling that was situated somewhere between the two. Though whichever one it was, to put it simply, it was frustrating.

He strained every muscle he could control in the hopes of overpowering whatever it was that was limiting his movement, and eventually, Ash became more and more aware of his surroundings. He mangaged to open his eyes, but his vision was hazy, causing everything in his line of sight to blur together into an unending spotch. But judging from what he could feel, he found that he was lying on something hard. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but Ash couldn't envision himself getting a good night's sleep on it, either. He also seemed to be almost lying down, but he felt like his head was raised slightly by something other than a pillow.

However, he was distracted from this new discovery when he heard those voices return. They seemed both closer, and further away than they had been before, though the reason for this wasn't something Ash could figure out in his current state of mind.

Unknowingly abandoning his attempt at opening his eyes, Ash instead listened hard, hoping to hear something that would make sense in his groggy mind, and hopefully inform him as to where he was.

But it seemed to be a pretty hopeless attempt. No matter what was being said, Ash had no idea as to what it was. He caught random words every few seconds, (or rather, he assumed it was that long) but it was like recieving puzzle pieces to several completely different sets. Nothing fit in a way that could make even the slightest bit of sense.

Hours could have passed, in which Ash was pretty sure he'd unwillingly slipped off into a rather restless sleep more than once, when he felt an odd sensation somewhere in his body, though due to every muscle in his body being numb, he wasn't actually sure exactly where this feeling was manifesting itself. Regardless, it wasn't painful, nor uncomfortable, but the way it started through spread through the rest of him, and allowed him to gradually locate the rest of himself, it reminded Ash strongly of the many times when he'd fallen asleep in an awkward position and woken up with a dead arm. Not to mention, the tingling feeling he was currently experiencing was very much identical to the one he would feel in the ensuing minutes, in which his arm would slowly wake up.

Needless to say, Ash was bewildered, but the odd thing was, the sensation seemed to be allowing him to take control of his senses. Soon enough, the voices that had ceased to stop were steadily becoming clearer, and actually started to make sense. Well, almost; while Ash could now hear what they were saying, he still had no idea what they were actually talking about. It was rather like the times when Ash was overhearing a conversation between Professor Oak and Professor Elm, only to be utterly confused about the actual subject of the matter.

Wait a minute ..

Frowning ever so slightly, Ash felt that familiar and annoying jab in his mind. The one he would get when he was extremely close to remembering something, but couldn't quite put a label on it. Searching back through his mind, he tried to remember exactly where it was when everything had become so fuzzy and disoriented.

That could have been an easy task, but to Ash, he'd been floating around in this unending darkness for so long, it felt like he'd been comatose for years.

At that thought, a sudden, uneasy chill sunk itself to Ash's stomach. It was admittedly a rather absurd thought, but with everything that had happened in his entire life, it didn't seem so farfetched that slipping into a coma for Arceus knows how long was exactly what had happened.

Then again, there was a consciousness in the rational part of Ash's mind which was telling him that his currently half awake state was making him just the slightest bit delerious. He sincerely hoped it was true.

After what seemed like an eternity, the sensation that had spread through his entire body had begun to fade, and Ash instantly found that once it had, he no longer felt disconnected from his body. In fact, there were suddenly quite a few things that Ash could make out; one of the most prominent being the incessant beeping sound from somewhere to his right, like an alarm clock that had just so conveniently moved itself across the room, so that blindly slamming your fist down on the side table reached a new level of pointlessness, and you actually had to _get up_ to find it.

And in the mornings, there was nothing more annoying than that.

Wanting nothing more in this moment than for that infuriating beeping sound to stop, Ash unconsciously tensed up, and used every ounce of strength in his body to do the one thing that seemed possible right now.

In what seemed like an eternity passing to Ash, was the amount of time required for him to open his eyes as much as he could. But even then, it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.

Managing to ignore the annoying sounds coming from all directions, Ash could barely make out anything in his limited, and blurry line of vision. His head feeling much to heavy to even attempt to move, Ash allowed his eyes to try and make out at least something in his surroundings. Though if anything, he only succeeded in making them water, a tear unconnected to emotion sliding down his cheek as he fought the urge to blink. Somewhere in his mind, he was a little worried that even by blinking, he would end up slipping back into that darkness. And while the numbing warmth was tempting him back, he wasn't going to allow himself to take that risk. Not now that he knew there was something outside of his unconsciousness; even if it was bad, he was going to find out.

But eventually, the urge to blink became overpowering, and it was against his will that his eyelids closed, blocking out everything in sight. Once he'd allowed himself a few seconds to gather the energy needed to repeat his action, Ash managed to force his eyes open. It was easier done this second time around, but that was also a bad thing. Though he had been able to open his eyes with relative ease, maybe too fast, too soon, he was instantly greeted by the burning sensation of a too bright light, immediately forcing them shut out of instinct.

Handing over a minute or so to allow the pain to fade, Ash hesitantly opened his eyes once again, wincing slightly in the bright whiteness of it all, but he managed to push throught it in order to find out what was going on.

Nothing in Ash's surroundings looked familiar to him. The entire room was painted a washed out white colour, and smelled a lot like the cleaning stuff his mom used to unblock the sink ..

Everything froze.

Then suddenly, that irritating, blocked memory at the back of his mind clicked into place, allowing the whole picture to come into full perspective.

.. his mom .. Mimey .. the house .. Pikachu ..

Sienna eyes widened, and the trainer was barely aware that the beeping in his ears changing its pace, despite the fact that it was moving in time with his own raging heart beat.

It wasn't until someone suddenly appeared that he finally started to piece together the situation.

It was a Pokémon, and from which particular one it was, being able to determine exactly where he was became easy; with that distinct pink, egg shaped body, even an idiot would know that a Chansey meant hospital. She didn't immediately notice that her patient was awake, intead sorting out something that was just out of Ash's line of sight, their back towards him.

Ash would have made some kind of indicator that he was awake, but when he tried to speak, he only succeeded in making a low, gargled hum from somewhere in his throat. He winced slightly as he did so, his attempt at speaking having sent a dry burn scratching at his vocal chords.

Even so, the Chansey seemed to sense that something was up, as merely a few seconds later, she turned around, a pair of curious black eyes meeting a glazed pair of sienna, instantly widening ever so slightly. But before Ash could make another attempt at speaking, the Chansey spun around with an urgent exclaimation of her name, and proceeded to run out of the room, confusing the trainer.

Though this confusion was short lived, as almost as soon as the Chansey had left, a familiar face peaked round the slowly closing door.

"Ash?" Came the voice that he knew so well, and it was barely five seconds later that he found himself staring into the concerned black eyes of -

"Tracey?" The raven haired trainer croaked, causing him to wince once more, having forgotten about the dry burn in his throat.

At the mention of his name, there was a brief moment in which Tracey looked as though he was about to hug the young trainer, but ultimately decided against it. And Ash was thankful for it; though he was still in somewhat of a numbed state, he knew that any sudden movement would result in pain. And that didn't appeal to him at all.

"Arceus, Ash, I - I'm so sorry, I didn't mean .. I didn't .. know - dammit, if I'd known - " Looking more than a little distressed, the Pokémon Watcher continued to stutter out a garbled apology, almost on the verge of tears. "Jeez, you almost .. you could've .. Arceus .. "

Seemingly unable to make his apology go anywhere, Tracey instead slumped down into a nearby chair, his head in his hands.

But the fear within Ash, manifesting in its purest form, wouldn't allow the trainer to give any amount of time for either of them to recover. "Tracey," he forced himself to say, ignoring the burn, "where's my mom? Where's Pikachu?" Despite managing to form intelligable words, his voice was still little more than a croak. "_What happened?!_"

Tracey looked up to meet Ash's stare, feeling guilt sink in his stomach even more at how scared the younger looked. But just as he had opened his mouth to respond, though he really had nothing to say at this point, he was interrupted by the door being thrown open. Both his, and Ash's heads snapped in the direction of the disturbance to see both a doctor, and a distressed looking Professor Oak.

"Ash, are you okay?" The latter demanded, as the doctor immediately got to work in checking the trainer for any signs of trauma.

Blinking rapidly as the doctor grasped his chin and shone a light in his eyes, Ash managed to stutter out, "W - what happened?" Feeling the need to elaborate further, Ash was about to continue, when the doctor chose to speak.

"There doesn't seem to be any long lasting effects," he informed Professor Oak, as though Ash weren't even there. "Athough he has some rather severe bruising, a broken wrist and some cracked ribs, as long as he takes it slow for the next few weeks, and gets plenty of rest, I'm confident that he'll be as right as rain."

As the elder exhaled in relief, Ash couldn't prevent his gaze from wandering down to his left wrist, seeing it resting upon his stomach, thickly encased in a plaster cast. Curious, he wiggled his fingers, only to be met with a sharp pain shooting up his lower arm. He bit his lip hard in the hopes that his involuntary whimper of pain would go unnoticed, though unfortunately, this was not the case, as three heads instantly turned to look at him.

It was the doctor who spoke first. "I wouldn't try to move if I were you," he informed the trainer, gently placing a hand on the younger's cast. "You're extremely lucky you didn't break your neck. You'll need complete rest for a few days."

In any situation, staying still never boded well with the restless trainer. And this particular one was no exception. But before he could protest, the doctor went on, once again speaking to Professor Oak.

"Thankfully, his injuries weren't as severe as they could have been, but I want to keep him in until morning, just in case any infections appear. Though at this stage, it's highly doubtful we have anything more to worry about," he said, and the elder nodded.

"Thank you," Professor Oak replied.

The medical chatter continued, and Ash could feel a headache coming. The only thing that was keeping him from shouting at the Professor and demanding an explaination was the strong suspicion that the doctor had been misinformed of the truth of what had caused his injuries. The recurring mention of a rampaging Nidoking was enough of an indication for Ash to believe that.

Eventually, after a lot of talk that Ash couldn't make heads or tails of, the doctor stood up, saying something about tending to another patient, or rather a subject along those lines, and turned to leave. With a strict order at Ash to rest, followed by a swish of his coat, the doctor was out the door, allowing it to close automatically rather than pull it shut.

Though moving agonisingly slow, the moment the door was shut just so happened to be the very moment in which Ash regained control of his voice. "_Professor!_" He hadn't meant to shout, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

The addressed Professor turned to face the trainer, a look of foreboding on his face, as though expecting every question that would soon leave Ash's mouth.

Without waiting for a verbal invitation to go on, Ash immediately asked, "Where's my mom? And what happened to Pikachu?" He didn't quite notice the tears brimming in his eyes. The Professor, however, did.

"Ash," he started, "Delia, Pikachu, and Mr. Mime will survive."

Despite recieving the exact answer he wanted, Ash still wasn't satisfied. "_What happened?_" He pleaded for the third time since waking up.

There was the slightest pause as a pair of dark blue eyes bore into sienna. The Professor looked almost hesitant as he went to reply, "You were attacked, Ash," he started with the obvious.

"No, really?" Ash was rather tempted to say, but even in his frustrated and exhausted state of mind, he could tell that now was not the time for sarcastic remarks.

Professor Oak sighed, sounding strained as he said, "I won't lie to you, Ash; your mother, Mr. Mime, and Pikachu are very badly hurt. The fact that one of you even survived, let alone all of you, is nothing short of a miracle." He wasn't looking at Ash as he spoke, but there was a certain note of truth in his words that allowed Ash to believe him.

A few moments of uncomfortable silence followed, with no other sound than three sets of uneven breathing. The Professor's lips opened and closed slowly, as though he were trying to figure out how to put what he wanted to say into words.

Every second that passed was torture for Ash; knowing that his family was alive was the only thing keeping him from screaming out in frustration, but for a reason obvious to him, it did little to comfort him. After all, they were all still hurt, and whatever had caused this was still out there.

Knowing this made Ash's skin crawl.

A long, drawn out sigh cut through the silence. Professor Oak was resting his head in his hands; an action Ash had only seen him do once, when a six year old Gary and his raven haired friend had been running around the fields of the Professor's laboratory, only to accidently provoke a rather proud Wigglytuff, who then proceeded to chase them both back inside, where each of the rivals-to-be had hidden behind a rather bewildered Professor Oak. Only then, the elder had been somewhere between amusement and exasperation; this time, there was nothing funny about the situation. Right now, Ash doubted he'd be surprised if Professor Oak had burst into tears.

The thought only scared Ash more.

But thankfully, Professor Oak had drawn Ash from his thoughts by continuing with his explaination. "I'm sorry, Ash," he apologised, confusing the younger until he added: "I should have told you to be careful, all of you. I was going to come back sooner, but there were certain .. " He hesitated, looking uncomfortable. " .. complications. If I'd called any later .. " He trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut.

He didn't need to finish his sentence for anyone to understand.

"When - " Ash cut himself off to clear his throat, his voice having come out as a croak once again. "When did you get back?" He asked. "And how did I get here?" A pause. "_When_ did I get here?"

There was a few seconds of silence.

"What is the last thing you remember?" The elder asked, finally meeting Ash's eyes again.

Ash remained momentarily silent, his eyebrows coming together as he forced himself to think back on the events. Only now was he realising just how foggy his recent memories were.

The most promient thing in his mind was how dark everything was, but after that ..

Ash closed his eyes, forcing his mind to remember.

After looking around, he found Mimey .. no, Pikachu found Mimey, who indicated to where Delia was.

A shiver worked its way up Ash's spine as the all too vivid images of his seemingly dead mother worked their way into his mind against all welcome. But as something else appeared through the black haze, those thoughts were pushed aside and forgotten for the time being.

.. the roar .. the broken plea to run .. the pain ..

Unknowingly, Ash's eyes snapped open as things became clear to him. The sharp, terrified cry of "_Pikapi!_", being unable to move, unable to protect his best friend from being attacked .. and that sickening, nauseating sound that echoed through the air when he collided with the wall ..

"Ash?"

Blinking, sienna eyes met a pair of concerned grey, and only when his vision blurred did Ash realise that tears were silently sliding down his face.

"I .. remember Pikachu being .. " He swallowed the congealing lump in his throat. " .. thrown across the room, and .. it sounds kinda weird, but I couldn't move .. "

"But not out of pain, or injury," the Professor finished for him. "It was like your body was frozen, unwilling to cooperate."

Sienna eyes blinked in confusion, before nodding slowly. " .. yeah .. exactly like that .. " Ash waited for the Professor to continue, but when he didn't, the trainer went on, "And the .. whatever it was .. I think it was laughing."

Professor Oak's dark eyebrows rose. Not in surprise, though; in what appeared to be anger. "It was laughing?" He asked quietly.

"When I couldn't move," Ash confirmed, and it was almost instant that the room felt like it had gotten several degrees colder.

No one spoke. Ash couldn't redirect his gaze from Professor Oak's; those kind grey eyes that often twinkled with inspiration, were now dark pits, ones that held a strong sense of malice. Right now, Ash could honestly say that the one whom he'd looked up to for years was truly scaring him. He hadn't felt nearly as fearful now in the elder presence than in any moment in his entire life, not even that time as a kid when Ash had been playing hide and seek, only to set free a rather angry looking Nidoking in the Professor's study. Even then, the young trainer had only recieved a gentle scolding.

It was unnerving, to say the least.

Eventually, after what could have been hours, the Professor drew a deep breath, closing his eyes. "And then?" He asked in a strained voice. It was quite obvious that he didn't really want to know.

Though the situation was becoming increasingly uncomfortable for the trainer, he managed to speak, though in a quieter voice, "Then I .. I think I passed out or something. Everything went dark, but I remember this light, and then .. I think someone was calling me."

Hearing this, the Professor nodded slowly. "That was me," he stated off handedly.

Sienna eyes widened at those words. " .. that was you?" From what he could remember, that voice didn't sound much like Professor Oak, but granted, the trainer was only just clinging onto consciousness at the time, so it wasn't exactly hard to believe.

The Professor nodded. "When I heard from Tracey that you were alone with no Pokémon other than Pikachu, I came back as soon as I could." There was a slight pause. "I only just got there in time to have Dragonite use Hyper Beam on that beast."

_I guess that explains the bright light_, Ash realised, but couldn't focus on that development for long. "What was that thing?" He asked before he could stop himself. Though he was certain that even if he had stopped himself, he would have still asked the same thing.

The expression that formed itself on the Professor's face was enough to tell Ash that the elder had been expecting such a question. But in the same sense, Ash was fairly sure that he wasn't going to get the answer he needed.

"That 'thing', if you will," the Professor started, after releasing a heavy sigh, "is .. " He paused, his eyebrows coming together as he pondered how put what he wanted to say into words. He inhaled deeply, looking almost at a loss of what to say.

By this point, Ash's barely existent patience was dwindling. He'd been attacked by some savage _thing_ after coming home to find his house in ruins, and his mother near death, then witnessed his best friend being beaten in the same manner; Ash wanted - no, _needed_ - an explaination.

When the Professor opened his mouth, time almost seemed to slow down, but after a few, drawn out moments, he simply shook his head. "It's not important .. "

In an instant, the lightly tan skin on Ash's face flushed a furious red. If his sore, and partcially numb body would have allowed it, he would have jumped up in anger. "_It's not important?!_" He demanded. Though behind him, Tracey jolted in shock at Ash's unexpected outburst, Professor Oak didn't flinch. Once again, it was as though he had expected it, and the thought only made Ash angrier.

"Ash - " The Professor started, but was immediately cut off by the trainer himself.

"What do you mean by that?!" He yelled, caring neither for the scorching burn in his throat, nor the possibility of anyone overhearing. "Something almost killed me, my mom, and Pikachu; how is that not important?" Through his exclaimation, Ash's voice had rapidly gotten quieter, and by this point, after a painful cough, it had been reduced to a hoarse whisper.

Even so, his words had caused the Professor to wince in what looked like pain, and Ash felt both satisfied and guilty. The only reason he didn't apologise was that his anger was overpowering any sympathy, shame, or indeed any other emotion he could feel in this moment.

A long, uncomfortable silence followed Ash's outburst, in which the trainer's anger gradually simmered down to a more a controlled level. Though the downside was that the deserved feeling of shame was beginning to creep over him, scolding himnfor being immature, even though the more rational part of his mind knew that maybe even Professor Oak could have reacted in a similar way if the situation was reversed. Not to mention, the physical pain was becoming much more persistent.

And as though reading Ash's mind, the Professor handed him a cup of water which, Ash noticed with an urge to slap himself in the face, had been settled on the table beside his bed the whole time, right next to an entire jug filled with water.

Wasting no time, Ash instantly sipped the water, unable to sit up properly, and subconsciously being aware of the fact that he didn't want to spill water over himself. Even so, in his awkward position, a fair amount managed to trickle past his lips and dampen his pillow. No one chose to draw attention to this.

Once the cup was empty, the chilled liquid having soothed the scratchy annoyance by a considerable amount, Ash kept a hold of it, feeling a small comfort in being able to squeeze something; it helped relieve some of the tension he was still feeling.

"Ash," came the Professor's voice, and the trainer in question turned his head sightly to show he was paying attention. Though his annoyance sparked back up when he found the following statement to be on a different subject: "This is all a little sudden, but I feel it's best that you are informed of this sooner rather than later."

Despite not getting an answer, Ash's interest on what the Professor had to say was peaked. He turned more fully, so that he could make eye contact. "What d'you mean?" He inquired.

"In light of what has happened," the elder continued, "I have arranged for you and Tracey to stay in Sinnoh with Professor Rowan."

Staring in shock at the sudden information, Ash was quick to ask, "What about my mom?" With a need to elaborate, he added, "Is she coming, too?"

There was no hesitation before the Professor shook his head. "Initially, I had planned for her to go with you, but in her current state, it would be extremely dangerous to move her even a short distance," he explained.

A shiver cursed through Ash at the thought of just how bad his mother's injuries were. With what he could remember with his fuzzy memories, she had been in terrible shape. He recalled the feeling he recieved when he thought that she was dead, and felt tears sting the corners of his eyes.

"Ash?"

_No!_ He scolded himself, feeling the first signs of self anger settling in for thinking about such things. _Remember, everything was dark, so for all you know, it could have looked worse than it actually was. And she's alive, isn't she? There's no way things can end like this. You know that_.

"Ash?"

Brought out of his self consoling thoughts by the call of his name, Ash blinked a few times, his eyes having glazed over, and saw Professor Oak looking at him in concern.

"I know things seem grim right about now," he said honestly, "but I can assure you that Delia will be safe, as will you, Tracey, and both of your Pokémon."

Ash unknowingly gave a subtle nod, but something was still itching at the back of his mind. "Why do we need to go to Sinnoh?" He asked. "Can't we stay here in Pallet Town?" Although, saying that, it struck Ash that he may not even be in Pallet Town. The last time he checked, the small town didn't have a hospital.

Indeed, his question was answered. "You are actually in Viridian, Ash," the Professor informed him. "And there are .. certain reasons why you cannot stay - "

"Like what?" Ash asked, before he could stop himself. If the Professor was annoyed by this, he hid it well.

Again, there was hesitation from the elder, whose grey eyes betrayed the fact that he was currently at an impase. The way he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and bit his lip slightly was enough of an indication for Ash to know that the Professor was very reluctant to tell any more of the truth than he had already given away.

Finally, Professor Oak met Ash's eyes once more. "Ash, the creature that attacked you," he said slowly, as though making sure to prevent himself from unintentionally blurting out any secret information, "it's .. " He frowned slightly, unsure of how to describe it.

The hesitation and constant periods of silence were becoming too much for the raven haired trainer. "Why won't you tell me?" He asked, though not in an accusing manner. When he detected a hint of confusion in those grey eyes, Ash went on, "I don't understand, you don't want me to know what's going on .. but why? Something tried to kill me, and I want to know _why_."

Professor Oak's hand touched the younger's, which were more or less clenched into fists, a distinct crack running through the plastic cup. "Don't misunderstand," he said sincerely. "Everything that had happened doesn't involve you, not directly, at least." He firmly squeezed the trainer's hands. "But even so, you have to leave Pallet Town, and Kanto, as soon as possible - "

"You still didn't say why," Ash interrupted, though immediately felt bad for doing so. "Was it .. was it just a random thing?"

A heavy sigh followed the trainer's words. "I'm not trying to keep you in the dark because I don't think you can handle it; I have limited knowledge of the situation, but enough to know that since the moment you stepped inside your house, you've been in more danger than you know."

" .. why?" Ash repeated.

In that instant, the Professor suddenly looked more serious than Ash had ever thought possible for the usually carefree elder. "This creature," he continued, "I've encountered it in the past, and it's enough to know that, no matter what it takes, it doesn't allow survivors." By now, the elder had actually leaned forward slightly, as if to further define the seriousness of the situation. "Whether or not it was a random occurence doesn't make the slightest difference. You survived, and now, this creature wants you dead, and it will do whatever it takes to achieve that. I'm not willing to risk your safety, Ash. That's why you need to go to Sinnoh; as long as it can't find you, then you will be safe."

Instinctively, Ash felt the almost overwhelming urge to argue, but just as he was just about to do so, one look at the Professor's face prevented his would be protest. His expression was a confusing mix, something between that stern look he occasionally got, and a tired plea, one that begged, 'Please don't argue with me on this'. It was then that the otherwise stubborn trainer found it impossible to form words.

"But .. " He eventually found himself saying, after around a minute of tense silence, "What about my mom?" He asked again, but for a slightly different reason. "I can't just leave her here when something is trying to kill her."

"You don't have to worry about that." Professor Oak said, but before outrage could manifest within the trainer, he was quick to elaborate, "If anything, that creature should believe she is dead. It's unlikely that anyone can survive such injuries to this point. If she's made it this far, then I'm sure your mother will recover, but like I said, moving her even as far as Pewter City could be catastrophic." He gave Ash a gentle, but firm pat in the shoulder. "Trust me; Delia will be much safer here than in Sinnoh. You, on the other hand, will not."

It was clear, even to Ash, that there was no way to argue. Though he was strongly opposed to leaving Pallet Town, let alone the entire region, he saw sense in Professor Oak's words. Staying where he was would likely make things worse, and not just for himself.

Though he still had a question left. "What about Tracey?" He asked, unable to see any reason for the Watcher to be in any immediate danger.

"If it can't get you, then it will get your friends," Professor Oak replied simply. "I wouldn't say it knows any of whom your friends are, apart from Tracey, so you needn't worry about anyone else."

"Professor .. ?"

Both trainer and Professor turned slightly to look at Tracey, who had spoken up for the first time since the elder had entered the room.

"That thing," he started shakily, " .. was that a Pokémon?"

It was a thought that never passed through Ash's mind before now, yet after hearing it, it suddenly seemed like the most obvious thing to ask.

Professor Oak, on the other hand, seemed to tense up slightly, before shaking his head. "No, Tracey," he spoke gravely. "I'm not entirely sure what it is anymore, but I am well aware that it is not a Pokémon."

"Then what - " Ash went to ask.

"There are things about the Pokémon world that no one knows," Professor Oak cut in, turning back to the raven haired trainer. "But even if the details are ambiguous, there is still the general fact to consider. Just because I don't know what it is exactly, doesn't mean I can't tell you what it's not."

Maybe that answer was meant to clear things up, but Ash was actually more confused than he was before the Professor said it. Though in a way, there was a slight theory in Ash's mind that just maybe, this was the overall effect that Professor Oak had been hoping for.

How he came to think that, even Ash wasn't entirely sure. It just seemed like the very thing the elder would do.

Indeed, by the time Ash had thought about this, Professor Oak was already leaving the room. He paused by the door, then turned to face the two other occupents.

"I have to go and take care of something, but under no circumstances are either of you two allowed to leave this room," he said firmly. "I will be back shortly."

With that said, the Professor left the room. The door had barely closed by the time Tracey had jumped up and quite literally ran the small distance to Ash's bedside. "Ash," he started breathlessly, though as he was about to continue, it dawned upon him that he had nothing to say by this point.

There was a brief pause, before Ash decided to break it, "How long have I been here?" He asked, curious as to just how long he'd been unconscious.

"Since yesterday evening," Tracey responded, rather relieved that they'd managed to start to somewhat of a conversation, even if it was about things like this. "So," he turned to look at the clock, "that was about thirty hours ago. It's almost midnight."

Though having hoped that it hadn't been any longer than a day or two, Ash was honestly surprised by this news. He turned his head as far as he could towards the window, which was inconviniently placed on the wall which the head rest of his bed was against, and through the slim gaps between the closed blinds, he could see that the sky outside was black.

"Have you and Professor Oak been here the entire time?" He inquired, turning back to Tracey and slumping back against the pillow.

Tracey nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, pretty much. Professor Oak won't let me go back to the lab, but he wouldn't say why. Though I guess it has something to do with that thing .. " He looked uneasy as he said this. "Ash, I'm really sorry .. I shouldn't have let you go back alone. Maybe if I'd gone with you, then - "

"Tracey," Ash cut in, knowing what was about to be said, "it's not your fault. You had no idea. And even if you did go with me, then .. " He trailed off, his mind suddenly flashing back to the evening he'd spent at the lab, most specifically the time he'd spent chasing the rebellious Oddish around the lab. The evening had just been turning into night .. was his mom still unharmed by that point? Or had she already been attacked? Maybe it had been happening while Ash had been running around ..

"Ash?" Tracey's quiet, careful tone of voice drew Ash back to reality. As he looked up into concerned eyes, he found himself speaking;

"Hey, Tracey?" His voice was just as quiet. "When we were at the lab, just before we fed the Pokémon .. I felt something," he shivered slightly, " .. I know something was watching me .. do .. do you think .. ?" He didn't need to finish his sentence for Tracey to understand.

"Do you think it was watching you then?" He asked, his eyes widening slightly.

Ash managed a small, awkward shrug. " .. I guess it doesn't really seem impossible .. " Then something hit him. "Why didn't it just attack me then?" He pondered aloud. "I mean, we were both there, but nothing happened." The realisation that this wasn't exactly true came in the form of the chilling memory of being paralysed, and something breathing down his neck, followed by something tracing up his spine; something other than his own fear.

A few seconds of silence passed. Tracey was frowning slightly as he thought about it, but a possible theory came to him. "Maybe," he said slowly, "it was because of the Pokémon." Before Ash could voice his confusion, Tracey went on, "Whatever this thing is, from what I've heard, it didn't just want to kill you and Delia. It could have finished you both off immediately .. but I think it wanted to really hurt you." There was an ominous pause. "It must have known that Delia was alive, but instead of just killing her, it waited for you to come back and find her." Another thought came to him. "And it might have wanted Delia to see you get hurt, or at least know what was going to happen to you .. "

Hearing it like that, whether or not it was true, scared Ash more than he would admit. How long as his mom been lying there in pain? It could very well have been hours.

Anger began to interwine with fear. A dangerous combination.

Too caught up in his thoughts to notice the sudden pause, Tracey went on, "And if the Pokémon were there, then it couldn't really have done anything without getting attacked."

There was a lot of sense in Tracey's words.

"Did you see it?" Ash was almost hesitant to ask.

"I don't know," Tracey admitted. "When I got to your house, I saw Professor Oak's Dragonite use Hyper Beam on something. I think I saw something run away, but everything was so dark, I had no idea what was going on." There was another pause. "I thought you were .. " He couldn't finish his sentence. "Professor Oak just told me to call for an ambulance; he wouldn't tell me anything. Then when they brought you here .. "

If there was a list of things that Ash hated, one of the entries would be seeing his friends in a distressed state. And by now, Tracey's dark eyes were fixed unwaveringly upon a microscopic mark on the bed sheets, while his entire body trembled. Ash also saw that Tracey's hands were clenched so hard, his knuckles were white; he looked not unlike how Ash had felt upon finding his mom. And if Tracey felt anything like Ash had, then the trainer wasn't going to allow it to last much longer.

"But I'm fine," he offered. A moment went by before Tracey looked up to meet Ash's eyes, and only then did the trainer continue, "It's probably even _because_ of you that I am. I mean," he gave a small, reassuring smile, "if you hadn't told Professor Oak that I'd gone, he probably wouldn't have got back in time."

In all honesty, Ash hadn't actually realised this until he said it. Just knowing that Tracey's one, off handed comment may very well have been the thing to save his life .. Ash wasn't sure if he should feel grateful, or scared.

Either way, the knowledge brought a faint smile to Tracey's face. "I guess you're right .. " He said, then laughed shakily. "That's .. actually pretty scary." He joked half heartedly. "But whatever happened, I'm really glad you're okay, Ash. Delia, Pikachu, and Mr. Mime, as well."

It wasn't hard for Ash to agree, though as he was about to say this, a yawn caught him off guard.

Tracey raised an eyebrow. "You've been asleep for over a day," he teased, "how can you still be tired?"

Ash managed a sheepish grin. "I guess almost getting killed really takes it out of ya," he joked.

Smiling good naturedly, Tracey then let out a lengthy breath of air. "You should sleep," he said, stretching his arms out. "From what Professor Oak has said to me, I'm pretty sure he was planning on sending us to Sinnoh the moment you woke up." He glanced at the clock again, finding that they'd been talking for quite a while. "Chances are we'll be leaving in the morning."

Ash blinked, having been caught by surprise. "In the morning?" He asked in disbelief. "That soon?" He would have dwelled on the thought a little longer, but another, louder, yawn crept out.

"I'm too tired to really care," Tracey said, surpressing a yawn of his own. Ash then noticed the dark circles under the Pokémon Watcher's eyes, and figured that there weren't really many places to sleep in a hospital if you weren't a patient. He almost felt guilty for this.

But in any case, the trainer's exhaustion got the better of him. And even with the recent events disturbing his every thought, and plaguing him with the uneasy feeling of suddenly being attack, Ash found himself mildly surprised at how easy it was to settle down on the otherwise uncomfortable bed, and allow sleep to take him.

Somewhere in his mind, he knew that his dreams would be tarnished with the gruesome images from the memories he'd gained, but for reasons he was vaguely aware of, even they were overshadowed by what was to come within the next few days.

Even in his darkest nightmares, and never ending black abyss, there wasn't the tiniest shred of time in which the raven haired trainer was not haunted those ever familiar, twin emerald orbs.

It was with utmost honesty that Ash could admit that he was not looking forward to the days ahead of him.

_Intuition_

* * *

"What did you tell him?" The gruff voice of Professor Rowan asked. After explaining the dire situation to the raven haired trainer, Professor Oak had wasted no time in reporting the progress to his ally. As expected, Rowan had immediately known what the call was about, and had refused to hand over a few seconds to exchange greetings.

"Enough to make him listen," was the reply.

Professor Rowan was still for a moment, then sat back in his chair. "I'm assuming he was defiant in leaving at such a time?" It wasn't really a question.

"As always," Oak replied wearily. "Though I'm sure he sees just how important it is for him to actually listen to either one of us for once."

"Hmph," the other grumbled. "He'd better. How is he, anyway?"

"A broken arm, some bruised ribs; nothing too serious, thankfully," Professor Oak admitted. "As long as he doesn't get a fever by the morning, he and Tracey will be on the next ship to Sandgem Town."

"I agree," Rowan replied. "The sooner the better."

A nod from the other was his response.

"Well," Professor Oak sighed after a growing pause, "I suppose there isn't much else to say at this point."

Rowan simply gave a "hmph" as an answer.

"How's Gary?" Thoughts of his grandson had been plaguing the Professor since the moment he heard about Cinnabar, and after the attack on Delia and Ash, his anxiety had been ever growing. He knew full well what would happen if Gary was caught up in all of this. To put it simply, torture would be a mercy.

If anyone were to wonder how the Professor knew this .. the terrified screams of a dying child were not easily forgotten. Not even the timespan of nearly two decades could begin to take effect on such a memory.

From the look in his eyes, it was obvious Rowan knew this, but the other was thankful that he chose not to comment.

"He's doing well," came the reply. "From the looks of it, he's somewhat confused as to why we're having guests, but he hasn't spoken about it much. Other than that, there's really nothing to report."

A faint smile touched Professor Oak's lips. "At least there's some good news in all of this," he said.

Rowan nodded slightly in agreement. "What should I tell him about all this?" At the questioning look on the other's face, he chose to elaborate, "For instance, what happened for Ash to be hurt? And why isn't Delia coming?"

There was a slight pause as Professor Oak contemplated this. "I'll talk to Ash and Tracey about it, and whatever they say, you just go with it. As for Delia, I'll tell them that I don't want Gary to fret over it. I don't see any reason for them not to believe it."

"If you wish," Rowan replied. "But, if you don't mind, I'd be thankful to get some sleep."

"Oh, yes. Of course," the other said. "You go do that, and I'll .. I suppose I'll stay here and make sure that nothing goes wrong."

He recieved a stern look in response to his words. "I've said this before, and I'll say it again: I sincerely hope you know what you're doing, Oak."

The other waved a hand in reassurance. "I don't have a soild plan as of yet, but I promise you that I know what I'm doing."

Whether or not Rowan was convinced, he didn't say anything on the matter. "Whatever happens, I only urge you not to be reckless." As if to ensure the effect of his words, he then added, "Not this time."

For however long the two sat there, neither breaking their eye contact, both were becoming increasingly engrossed in their thoughts.

Professor Oak's voice was weak and quiet by the time he was able to speak. "As long as no danger can come to any of them," he said, "then things should be okay."

The silence on the other end was enough to make him doubt his words.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oh, it's been too long .. much too long. I won't lie, my urge to write decided to take a little vacation, so I had to force myself to start writing this. Then I started to get lazy, so it probably isn't brilliantly done. Plus hospital scenes are so very .. unthrilling to write. I honestly just wanted to get it out of the way, which is ironic cause this is the longest chapter thus far. But it gets the point across, does it not?

Anyways, it raised a couple of questions: is Tracey's theory correct? What's Professor Oak hiding? How much of what he told Ash is true? When will Ash and Gary (finally) meet up? How long until the inevitable lemon scene?

Well, I _could_ answer those questions now .. but it's more fun not to!

Okay, enough of that, I should get started on the next chapter. I'll see you then :D


	6. Chapter Five

**Author's Note:** Did it really take me a _month_ to finish this? I knew I shouldn't have taken a break from writing in December. Took me weeks to get over my writer's block! Then there was all this lovely snow .. oh well, what's important is that it's done :) And so we can avoid any possible - but unlikely - confusion, I'll let you know that in this fic, Ash and Gary's full names are Satoshi and Shigeru. I like both variations, so why choose just one?

**Disclaimer:** Nothing's changed: I still don't own Pokémon.

* * *

_Intuition_

**Chapter Five**

The morning had passed a blur. Ash had woken up to find a Chansey bustling about in his room, bringing him breakfast and taking his temperature, all the while singing a merry tune. When that was all done, she left the room with a smile and a chipper cry of her name.

Tracey had been absent through this, but reappeared roughly an hour or so later with two bags stuffed full of what Ash had assumed to be clothes. Though considering the condition of his house, whether or not they contained any of Ash's own belongings was so far a mystery. In any case, he didn't really care. It wasn't like it mattered.

Yes, there were much more important issues at hand. The only things that Ash could focus on were the lives of the three members of his family. Apart from the constant reassurances that they were alive, no other news of their individual conditions reached his awaiting ears. And that was more painful than he could have imagined.

Other than spending the bedridden hours stewing in his own sense of guilt, Ash found himself caught up in his musings, which ranged from what he suspected Professor Oak to be hiding, to recapping every last detail he could remember from the night before. Or was it two nights before? Through the uneasy night's sleep he'd gotten last night, combined with his own inability to piece together the stray scraps of information to determine exactly what was going on, it was quite a feet for Ash to be able to tell the difference between night and day.

According to the faulty clock above the door, it was around midday when Ash was discharged from the hospital, with strict orders from his doctor not to do anything to cause a strain to himself. The trainer was more concerned about the fact that he was allowed out of the hospital so soon, though when he voiced his surprise to Tracey, the Watcher had told him that it was the work of several Blissey, or rather their eggs, that caused Ash to heal so fast.

Even so, Ash silently admitted that he was still rather surprised that he was allowed to stand up on his own. Though he had miraculously avoided any potentially life threatening injuries, and he had been healed up quite nicely, it still hurt to move around. His wrist was still in a cast, the bruising on his back was still very much visible, and his entire body felt .. strange, for lack of a more accurate word. Like he'd been unhinged at every joint. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but one that he couldn't ignore.

Well, whatever his condition now, he had been assured that in a few weeks or so, he would be back to perfect health. To Ash, that time couldn't come soon enough.

With all the packing, the rushing around, the promises not to do anything rash, admist everything else, leading up to where Ash was now, the day so far had been a very long, tiring one. He was almost regretting having to leave the hospital bed, no matter how uncomfortable it was.

That said, Ash rolled his shoulders back, wincing as a mild pain attacked his nerves. He couldn't physically see the extend of the bruising to his back, due to being currently unable to turn his head very far without being struck with an unwelcome shot of pain, but judging from Tracey's reaction when he'd helped the trainer get dressed, it wasn't pretty. Though he could have figured that out purely from what he could feel.

Sighing heavily, Ash lolled his head to the side, resting it against the car window. He'd been sat in the backseat of Professor Oak's car for at least several hours, and his body was groaning in protest. His mind, however, was engrossed within a countless number of thoughts, theories, and blurry memories, all of which were creating a pounding headache for the raven haired trainer.

No word was spoken as the journey rolled. Where exactly they were heading wasn't something that Ash knew. Maybe he should have been paying more attention, but when his mind was already crammed full of thoughts, and his emotions were going haywire, his ability to actually do so wasn't really functioning.

With a heavy sigh, Ash allowed his eyelids to flutter shut, the temptation of sleep becoming ever more promising. The infrequent sounds one would hear on the motorway were brushed away into the background, becoming little more than a barely audible noise somewhere around him.

But, as luck would have it, just as Ash had slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep was the exact moment that the car lurched to a halt.

With a groan of protest, the trainer absent mindedly rubbed his eyes, doing little to clear his sleep hazy vision. Even so, he heard the car door slam shut on the driver's side, sending a wave of vibration through the rest of the vehicle. Looking to the left, Ash met Tracey's dark eyes, the one glance being enough to tell the both of them that neither has a clue as to what was intended to happen next.

Though before either of them could ask, the door on Tracey's side swung open to reveal Professor Oak, who was carrying the two hastily packed bags in one hand, the other resting on the recently opened door.

As Ash and Tracey met his gaze, silently requesting an explaination, he offered them a weary, half smile. "I'm afraid I can't say much right now," he said, sounding as tired as he looked. Ash was certain the Professor hadn't slept since arriving back from Cinnabar. "But I promise that your questions will be answered soon enough."

Unsatisfied, Ash couldn't stop himself from demanding, "How soon?"

Apparently too tired to notice, or simply unable to care at the moment, any rudeness in Ash's question was ignored by the Professor. "Sometime tomorrow, I'd say," he replied. He stole a quick glance at his watch, looking alert upon seeing the time. "Ash, Tracey, I'm sorry I can't say anything now; this is all to protect you both. You need to trust me on this."

Immediately following his words, a horn blared a distance away, causing all three heads to turn in the direction of the noise.

"Uh, Professor?" Tracey asked, not looking to the elder in question, "Where are we, exactly?"

"Vermillion Port," was the answer. "And if you don't get out of the car in the next five minutes, I daresay you'll miss the boat."

Their attention snagged, the two inside the car turned to look at the Professor.

"The boat?" Ash inquired, failing to see how such a thing fit in to the current situation.

"Yes," the Professor replied simply. "I already told you; I've arranged for you and Tracey to go to Sinnoh to stay with Gary and Professor Rowan," he filled in, raising an eyebrow at the young trainer. "Don't you recall me telling you?"

Filing through his memories, Ash suddenly recalled being told that very thing. "Oh, yeah .. " He murmured, mostly for emphasis.

From the look on his face, the Professor seemed to be fighting back a heavy sigh. "I know this is all sudden, and I know you both have questions about what is going on," his gaze lingered on Ash as he said this, "but I promise that everything will be explained to you in time. All I ask is that you do as I say."

A few moments of uncomfortable silence lingered, before Ash and Tracey shrugged in unison.

The horn blared once more, which seemed to jolt the Professor back to his earlier train of thought. "Right, well, you two best be leaving," he stated, stepping back to allow them to climb out of the car. Shutting the door behind them, the Professor lead them both down the road, a large ferry coming into view ahead of them.

Once they were at the docks, Tracey swung both bags over his shoulder, Ash being in no fit condition to carry his own. He could barely move without wincing.

"Professor Rowan will meet you when you arrive in Sandgem Town," Professor Oak explained. "You must stay with him while you go back to the lab, and I'll say this again," he gave the younger two a stern look, "don't ever be alone. Not even inside. Be it with Pokémon, or each other, make sure you are _always_ with someone, understood?"

Rather than as a habit, it was out of a genuine promise that he recieved two nods as a response. The elder had constantly been drilling this into their minds throughout the so far hectic day; at first, Ash and Tracey had simply agreed, but after seeing the look of desperation in the Professor's usually kind eyes, they'd both taken everything he'd told them into serious account.

Within the following few minutes, Ash and Tracey had been ushered aboard, and were now standing on the deck of the boat, idly waving at the Professor as the ferry pulled away from Vermillion. Neither spoke a word, to each other or themselves, until the shore of Kanto was only a thin line of land in the distance. By then, Tracey was looking down at his raven haired friend, who was staring out at what little he could see of his home region with a vague sense of longing, his eyebrows drawn together slightly, and his lips pressed firmly into line.

"Ash?" The Watcher inquired, the sound of his voice not stirring the younger. With everything that had happened recently, Tracey couldn't find a reason to blame him. Ever since he woke up that morning, Ash had very clearly not been himself. And for a good reason. While Ash himself had faced near death a countless number of times, he hadn't ever experiences having a family member fighting for their life. Tracey doubted the thought had ever crossed the younger's mind before.

Indeed, Tracey's theory was correct.

As what little he could see of Vermillion disappeared behind the growing waves, Ash felt a pang in his chest that had nothing to do with the marks on his body. He felt like a coward. Running away when those he cared about were in potentially life threatening danger.

He wasn't being naive; he knew Professor Oak was sending him and Tracey away for their own safety, but the knowledge that he was leaving his mom alone in the hospital, beaten and broken, hurt him in ways physical pain could never compare to.

And that image .. Ash shivered as the memory appeared without welcome in his mind. Before he'd left the hospital, he'd been allowed to visit his mom. From what he'd heard in passing conversations, she was in a coma, and seeing her in the light of the day, uncovered from the suffocating darkness Ash had found her in, made him physically sick to his stomach.

Pikachu, on the other hand, had been conscious, at the very least, and Nurse Joy had assured Ash that the electric mouse would make a full recovery in no more than a week. However, when he'd asked if he could take his Pokémon with him, the answer was a firm 'no'.

Ash wanted more than anything for Pikachu to be back to normal as soon as possible, but leaving him in the Pokémon Center after a quick five minute visit wasn't something Ash had been prepared for. With a weak "Chuu .. " and a reassuring squeeze of his trainer's index finger, it was enough of a reaction from Pikachu to give Ash the strength to leave.

Walking out of the building without his best friend on his shoulder, Ash felt almost naked. Vulnerable. Exposed. Like anything could sneak up on him and tear him apart. Even with Poké balls firmly clipped to his belt, without Pikachu, it just didn't feel right. Almost like he was missing a piece of himself, leaving him unable to function properly.

Closing his eyes, Ash inhaled deeply, and gripped onto the metal railing in front of him in an attempt to keep himself from shaking. With everything going on, and the lack of answers, none of this seemed _real_. It was like he was still half asleep, his dreams merging into reality, and no way to tell which scenario was true.

"It's so weird," he eventually said, his voice scratchy from the lack of use since waking up.

Beside him, Tracey nodded slightly. "I know." He wished he could have said something more, but really, what else was there to say?

But it didn't seem like Ash minded. He was the one to elaborate. "Why do you think the Professor is so worried?" He mused, looking up at his friend, who was frowning slightly as he contemplated.

"Well, I understand _why_, but .. " He hesitated for a moment. "I don't know. Something about this whole situation doesn't make sense. And I have no idea what it could be .. "

Ash looked away, fixing his gaze upon his hands, which were now white from lack of circulation.

"But," Tracey continued. Ash turned his head slightly, silently urging him to go on. "I think that we should do what the Professor says."

Even in Ash's slow state of mind, Tracey's words had an instant effect on him. His head snapped up to stare at the older of the two, his eyes wide. "What do you mean?" He asked quietly, his voice not yet fully functional.

Tracey exhaled deeply, his breath brushing a few strands of hair away from his face. He'd been expecting Ash not to take this well, but there wasn't anyway he could say this in a way to generate a positive response. "I mean that we shouldn't do anything reckless, like the Professor said," he explained.

While Ash was normally dense about things in general, in a situation as serious as the current one, he was often more insightful to what was going on around him. As such, he could easily understand the true meaning of Tracey's words.

"You mean 'don't ask questions'," was all he said, not breaking his gaze.

Maybe it was hopeless, but Tracey tried to make the trainer see reason. "Ash, look - "

"Don't." Ash cut in, shaking his head. "I know what you're trying to say. You don't want either of us to get involved, right?"

"That's not what I - "

"Yes it is." Ash said stubbornly, now staring at the water.

Tracey couldn't supress a sigh. This wasn't going to be easy. "Ash," he said gently, not wanting to upset the younger even more. Recieving no protest, he went on, "Don't take this the wrong way. Maybe I don't understand what you're going through, but that doesn't mean I don't know how much you hate this."

There was no response, so Tracey felt it right to elaborate.

"You wanna help, right?" While said as a question, they both knew Tracey was stating a fact. Even so, Ash didn't react. "Ash .. please .. " Hesitantly, he placed his hand on Ash's shoulder, and while the trainer immediately tensed up, he soon managed to relax. "Don't do anything rash."

Ash almost seemed to wilt upon hearing those words, an abvious worry clouding his sienna eyes. "I know," he whispered. "But I .. I can't just .. " He bit his lip, visibly struggling with his next words. "Tracey, that _thing_, it almost killed my mom .. and Pikachu .. " He squeezed his eyes shut. Just the mention of his Pokémon's name caused that pain filled shriek to echo through his mind. As though to block out the sound, he continued talking, "It's still out there, and I can't do anything .. "

Giving the younger's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, Tracey said what Ash no longer could. "You feel helpless. You want to get back at that thing for what it did to you and your family, but you can't." There was a pause, before he added, "And you hate that."

Ash could have denied it, but he knew there was no point in doing so. The words spoken by Tracey just now contained more truth than Ash was expecting.

"What would you do?" He asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "If something had hurt you and your family on purpose, wouldn't you want to get back at them?"

Tracey could only sigh. Yes, he understood what Ash was implying, and that he had every right to do so, but ..

"Revenge won't solve anything," was all he said.

A hint of a scowl touched Ash's face, but otherwise, he stayed standing firm. "I know," he responded simply. "But I can't just let this go .. "

The pain in the younger's statement made Tracey wince in sympathy. He knew how stubborn Ash was, how protective he was of those he cared about, and getting angry at him over this would undoubtably make things worse, so what was the point?

Indeed, it was as though Ash knew what his friend was thinking, for he reached up to his shoulder, placing his hand on the other's. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice almost silent in the salty breeze.

For being there, for understanding, or for not pushing the subject, Tracey didn't know. But despite his uncertainty and worry for the younger's well being, he couldn't find enough reason to reply.

_Intuition_

* * *

The sky was pink by the time Professor Oak had arrived back in Pallet, the shadow of night just beginning to creep over the quiant houses scattered over the land. around this time was usually one of his favourite times of the day, but for today, that small didn't register in his mind. If anything, right now, it was very likely one of his least favourite.

As this thought went through his mind, he stepped on the brakes as his gaze fell upon the one thing in the small town that sent a chill through his body.

Rumours had been sparked the morning after .. that particular night, the very moment the neighbours had laid eyes upon the taped off Ketchum house. The Professor had heard only a few in passing, but it was enough for him to determine that they truly had no idea as to what was going on.

The cover up story had quickly been spread by Officer Jenny, who was one of the few people who knew what was going on as of now, that there had been an accident involving a certain raven haired trainer's Gible. Having heard all about the Dragon and Ground type's imperfected Draco Meteor, it seemed like a fitting cover up. The Pokémon in question was currently at his lab, so for any prying neighbours, they could easily see for themselves just how much trouble it could cause. Especially on it's own.

But for Professor Oak, that one bout of destruction before him was a mere reminder of the harsh relalities soon to follow. The only difference being that, this time, it wouldn't be Saffron City that fell to the ground in the fight against the violent flames that consumed it. No, this time, Pallet would most likely be first, and any attempts to prevent it would only decrease the ammount of time the small town would have to remain standing.

And even then, the act of violence would only be out of spite. Until the beast got what it wanted, it wouldn't hesitate to destroy the entire region in it's search. It would only be a matter of time before it found what it was looking for.

Or, rather, _whom_.

To see a person die wasn't something one could forget so easily. For that person to be a child, it was hard to fight away the possibility of it being one of your own.

But when that child truly was your's .. it was enough to drive you insane. If not the first time, then to have it happen again would destroy anyone.

Especially if the second time involved the only remaining family member they had left.

_Intuition_

* * *

Around ten minutes later was when Professor Oak had managed to bring himself out of his painfully nostalgic memories and continue what was left of his drive back home, and a further five minutes to arrive at his destination.

It was the moment his hand touched the front door handle that he felt it.

The chill in the air ..

.. the feeing of being watched ..

It was almost instinct that he automatically reached into his pocket, pulling out the Poké ball within and continuing inside. He knew it was inside; it wouldn't want to risk becoming known by attacking out in the open, especially when it was still light outside.

It would have been ironic that the Professor wanted this as well, but considering how different the two reasons were for wanting it, he couldn't bring himself to think so.

Slowly, hesitantly, the door was opened just enough to cast a stream of light into the otherwise darkened room. An unnatural darkness, most likely, but nothing immediately harmful.

The Professor slipped inside, the door closing with an almost echoing '_click_' as he stepped into the hallway, his footsteps easily heard against the polished wood flooring. Though he knew he was not alone, nothing happened to prove this. For however much time passed, in which the Professor cautiously made his way from room to room, starting in the living room, and eventually progressing into the labratory, no sound other than the ones made by the elder were heard anywhere in the residence.

From what he could see in his limited vision, the interior of the room was still intact. There may have been no reason to do so, but Professor Oak couldn't help but be the slightest bit surprised at it not being done out of spite.

Before he could stop himself, a small chuckle made it past his lips. "Finally learning some manners, are we?" He mused, less to himself than one would think.

Indeed, his very voice triggered an almost immediate reaction.

From somewhere to the Professor's right, he heard a low, almost amused growl, accompanied shortly by a whispering voice;

'_Wouldn't you like to know?_'

It was all the Professor needed to allow the Poké ball in his hand to become airbourne. In a flash of light, the cry of a Dragonite was heard, the Pokémon itself materialised in front of it's trainer, ready to battle.

The unspoken challenge was accepted, and the effect was instant. With a roar that overpowered the dragon's, the mass of black, nearly invisible in the suffocating darkness, lunged forward, the rush of air caused by the movement sending unidentified objects soaring out of their correct locations.

Professor Oak, prepared for such an attack, immediately leapt aside with a surprising level of agility for someone his age, only just missing the physical blow.

The command was spoken before his feet reconnected with the floor, "Hyper Beam!"

The interior of the lab was lit up with a harsh blast of orange, momentarily blinding the occupants, though having no long term effect as the room was cloaked in darkness once more. With no immediate way to tell if the attack hit it's target, the Professor was quick to call out;

"Thunder Wave!"

As the air crackled with the mild electric charge, Professor Oak was at his Pokémon's side, simply awaiting the reaction. He knew he could not win, not like this, but with the other option being more gruesome that he could imagine, there wasn't much other choice.

But as the air suddenly dropped several degrees, it was clear that this particular battle was coming to an abrupt. Before anything else could be said, a powerful gust of wind shook labratory, throwing both Professor and Pokémon off their feet.

As he landed non too gently on the floor, the Professor only allowed himself to grunt in pain before forcing himself back to his feet, ignoring his body's protest. The wet stickiness on the palms of his hands was enough to tell him that he was bleeding, but nothing that could slow him down. Not now.

"Hyper Beam!" Was his next command as soon as he was able to draw enough breath. In normal battle conditions, launching such an attack after recieving such a powerful blow would require the Pokémon in question to take at least a minute to charge it up. But with both the dire turn of events, and the decade's worth of training for this very battle, it was barely a few seconds before the beam of energy was sent across the room.

A low, undoubtably angry hiss indicated that this attack had hit it's target, and the Professor was quick to shout out, "Dragon Breath!" He couldn't risk any close range attacks just yet.

Not allowing himself a quick breathing break, the Dragonite sent a blast an almost purple light in the exact direction his previous attack had been launched, being careful not to waste all his remaining energy in that one attack.

Unfortunately, but not regrettable, the Dragon Breath seemed to have missed it's target, which shifted it's location so that result of the attack sent a nearby computer desk up in flames, steadily destroying the surrounding objects, while enveloping the room in a flickering, orange glow. Just enough to see exactly where the target went, but putting Professor Oak in the same vulnerable position.

For the slightest of seconds, two pairs of eyes met; one the dark blue colour of a human; the other a deep souless pair burning with hatred and bloodlust. The eyes of a beast.

With a feral growl, the beast's eyes narrowed, before the lab trembled as the creature released a screech, one that had the physical effect of claws ripping at every inch of the Professor's skin, causing even the Dragonite to scrunch it's eyes shut, having no choice but to fall to it's knees in agony.

Nothing more needed to happen. The battle was over.

Despite this, the Dragonite barely had the time to open it's eyes before the sheer physical force of the creature's claws struck it unforgivingly, sending it crashing across the room and landing with a heavy 'thump' on the ground. It knew the battle was lost, and there was nothing more it could do to protect it's trainer. All the Dragonite could do before falling into unconsciousness was meet the pain filled eyes of the Professor, sending the silent message in volumes stronger than words could manage.

_I'm sorry_.

Dragonite's head had barely slumped to the ground, when a heavy weight settled upon the Professor's shoulder's, trapping him where he lay. He didn't need to direct his gaze from his fallen Pokémon to know exactly what was the cause.

"Using an illegal move? My, my, I thought I'd taught you better than that." Considering what had taken place in the previous minutes, and for someone who could very well be seconds from death, it would have shocked anyone at how the Professor's tone resembled the one he would use to tell someone the weather.

Apparently, the opposing side was expecting nothing else.

'_Considering our history, _Professor_,_' it quit literally spat out the title, '_I'd have thought you'd have been ready for it._' It's voice was rough, scratchy, and deep, unused for many years beyond the violent cries which had accompanied the flames that had devoured Saffron.

Despite the set of potentially lethal jaws visible merely inches from his face, the Professor actually chuckled. "I suppose the years made me careless." He would have shrugged, had he been physically able to.

The light hearted humour was unappreciated.

'_Don't mess with me, Oak,_' the beast snarled, it's hot breath scalding the Professor's skin, forcing beads of sweat to form. '_No creature alive could be idiotic enough to get careless. Or do you simply not remember the previous time such a thing happened?_'

Any attempt at lightening the mood vanished at the implication. The two conscious beings in the room glared deep into each other's eyes, as though daring them to speak any further.

It was a long minute before the Professor did. "I know what your aim is." His voice was lowered to a deathly whisper. "Don't think for a second that I don't know exactly what you want. Just make sure you know this; you will never find him, so do yourself a favour a give up this pointless chase."

There wasn't even a pause before a low chuckling sound was heard. '_After all this time, you aren't telling me you still don't understand?_' Once again, any indication of humour was gone. '_I swore I'd make you pay for what you did, and I intend to keep my word. Whether it takes me a thousnd years, or more, I will take my revenge. You can't stop me._'

"Those were your exact words almost two decades ago," the elder stated. "You can twist the story as much as you dare, but you can't ignore the truth of the matter." He leaned forward as much as he could. "I beat you. You were imprisoned, forgotten, for many years. I may have gotten older, but nothing more has changed. If you go anywhere near my grandson, I will destroy you."

'_Hmph,_' the beast growled, tightening it's grip on the Professor to a painful level. '_You never knew when to see your disadvantage. Using such words against me .. what makes you think I won't kill you where you lay?_'

The Professor cocked an eyebrow daringly. "What's stopping you?" He simply asked. "I daresay we've been talking for several minutes now, and in any of that time, you could have simply done so."

There was no need for light to allow the Professor to know the beast was smirking.

'_It would seem you _have_ gotten a little sharper with age,_' it growled. '_Such a shame you couldn't have developed such a skill all those years ago. Could have saved yourself a little heartache .. _'

An emotion seared through Professor Oak's eyes, one that would have made the fiercest Gyarados back down. But from the look of satisfaction in the other's eyes, it was exactly the reaction it wanted.

'_Now, don't say you're still moping about that?_' It taunted. '_You've had plenty of time to grieve, more than you gave me. Young Shigeru got over it, so why haven't you?_'

The Professor clenched his fists, unknowingly driving broken glass into his palms, but it wasn't enough to stop himself from flinching ever so slightly. An action that wasn't missed.

In an instant, the satisfaction in the beast's eyes transformed into a twisted sense of glee. '_Ohhh .. _' It cooed in a mocking tone. '_You've not told him, have you?_'

Anyone would have been sent running from the purely dangerous look that had formed on Professor Oak's face, as he hissed between clenched teeth, "If you _dare_ say a word about it - "

'_You'll what?_' Came the inquiry. '_Don't you think he's old enough to know?_' A sudden thought crossed it's mind. '_What _was_ it you told him? A car crash? Come on, Oak, I thought you would be a little more original than that .. _'

"And what would _you_ have suggested?" Immediately, he regretted asking this.

'My_ suggestion, you would never have considered. But I can assure you that I still have time to pass on the message._' The beast continued to taunt. '_Perhaps I can do it just before I slit his little throat, or as I rip out those pretty eyes of his. But don't worry, I'll make sure there's enough of his body left for you to bury .. right next to his parents - _'

"_That's enough!_" Came the enraged shout from the Professor, his face flushed from the rage he could no longer contain. He knew he was giving the beast what it wanted, but as long as no more words were spoken about Gary, then he no longer cared. "Is it truly worth it? Murdering an innocent teenager for a crime his grandfather commited? Why not just kill me now and get it over with? Haven't you done enough?"

There was no other emotion lingering in the air. The next words spoken were deathly serious.

'_You think this is all about you .. well, you're wrong. Yes, I could kill you, but there are things, many things, much worse than death._' It leaned in closer, it's eyes barely apart from the Professor's. '_I'm going to make you suffer, Oak, and I know exactly how to do it. Torturing you physically would give me great pleasure, but there's something I learned a very long time ago._'

It's voice was getting steadily quieter, and by now, they were audible only due to the close proximity. '_Emotions are powerful things, Oak. Physical pain cannot compare to the agony emotions can cause. That other trainer was a warning. I'll let him live for now. I missed my chance with Shigeru, and I'd very much love to see that Satoshi kid break when I kill his mother .. right before his eyes .. _'

A sound that very much resembled a snarl escaped the Professor's lips, but he could not form words to speak.

'_You've had this coming for a long time, Oak .. a _very_ long time._'

The bruising weight upon the Professor was gradually lifted, until he was eventually freed from the painful grasp.

Nothing was said in the minutes that passed, until eventually, the beast retreated, slinking back into the unnatural darkness.

The Professor would have thought he was left alone, had it not been for those final spoken words before time seemed to start back up again:

'_I don't care how long it takes .. I'm ending this .. one way, or another, I'll make you pay for what you did .. _'

* * *

**Author's Note:** Y'know, cause it's fun to have Professor Oak battle :D I tried, I really did ..

Okay, I'm going to have to say this, so I'll speak directly to you: **Xx-Synthetic-Cyanide-xX**. Now, I don't know what happened - one moment, I was complaining to you via PM that I was blocked. Then, as soon as I sent said message, I just HAD to write. I don't know what you did, but yeah. It happened. Told you that you were awesome :D

Anyways, back to business. Will the next chapter be out sooner? I can only hope .. but! Guess who's (finally) making a reappearance? Yepp! Ash and Gary shall be reunited. Along with the _totally_ unforeseen disappearance of Gary's shirts .. that I had absolutely nothing to do with ..


	7. Chapter Six

**Author's Note:** I'll apologise in advance, this chapter contains very clunky dialogue, and I'm sorry! At first it flowed quite nicely, then it got a little ' .. where do I go with this?'

Also, before anything happens, I'll ease the worries of **SakuraYuki218**. I would have sent this via PM, but you were a guest review, so yeah. But you have a point, the time line does seem a bit mismatched, doesn't it? It's hard to tell when you know the whole story surrounding it. But I have everything planned, and it'll be cleared up soon enough. In fact, it does so in this chapter! Or possibly makes things worse .. just trust me on this, 'kay?

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon isn't mine .. yet.

* * *

_Intuition_

**Chapter Six**

Considering Sinnoh was far up north, much further away than Hoenn, it didn't quite make much sense as to how both journeys turned out to take roughly the same amount of time. By the time Ash woke up after a night long ferry ride, Sandgem Town was easily seen from his cabin window, and no sooner was he showered and dressed was the ferry pulling up into the harbour.

The night before had been an unpleasant one for Ash. His thoughts seemed to be permenantly fixated on the attack a few days prior, and the notion of simply closing his eyes was all that was needed for the entire event to replay itself in his mind. It was just getting light outside by the time Ash had managed to fall into some form of a steady sleep, and by then, he'd long since lost count of the times he'd woken up drenched in cold sweat.

But even then, when he'd eventually been granted a break from such memories, they had been replaced in his dreams by a realisation that Ash had barely even considered.

For the next few weeks - _at least_, he'd been told - he would be living with his long-time-rival-turned-friend, Gary Oak. Just the thought crossing his mind was enough to cause his every thought to be plagued by that very teenager, and with the nerves of reuniting with his former best friend affecting the raven haired trainer, it went without saying that what little sleep Ash got was _not_ pleasant.

Truthfully, it wasn't the thought of Gary that was causing him such distress; it was more along the lines of knowing they would be living together, in the same house, for Arceus knows how long. And considering the history between the two, the only possible outcome of the time ahead would either be surprisingly pleasant, or either one of them would no longer have the ability to breathe; there could be no neutral ending.

But as these thoughts continued, they also sparked something else in Ash's mind. The more he pondered over the emerald eyed researcher, the more he thought about how things were between them as of late. Even all these years later, when they were past their infamous rivalry, he was never truly sure of what went wrong when they were kids, of what happened to make Gary push him away so forcefully.

It wasn't something that Ash thought about obsessively, nor was it simply a passing thought every now and then, but even after their agreement to 'bury the hatchet', thinking back on the moment when Gary had officially ended their friendship still made Ash want to cry.

It had happened just a few days after the anniversary of the day Gary's parents had died, and at first, Ash had considered that to be the cause, but all in all, it just didn't make sense. Things had been strained between them in those first months after the accident, but Ash had refused to give up on his best friend so easily, and sure enough, Gary had eventually stopped pushing him away. It was a long, and slow process, but gradually, Gary was reverting back to the way he used to be.

During that time, while the loss of his parents had affected Gary deeper than Ash could ever know, there was nothing to suggest any ill feelings between the two young friends, nor anything that would happen to break what they had. In fact, by the time roughly eight months had passed, their friendship had more or less been restored to what it had been before the accident.

But maybe that was just the calmness before the storm.

That particular day was a typical Saturday morning, the day of the week when Ash and Gary would go out and play with all the Pokémon at the lab, yet when Ash had gone round to see his best friend, instead of being greeted by him, that very same friend had viciously pushed Ash away, shouting that he never wanted to see the raven haired boy ever again.

Of course, while Gary's words had upset him, Ash had once again refused to accept it as the end of their friendship, and had done everything he could think of to try and mend it, but the more he did so, the further Gary distanced himself from his former friend.

While this was happening, both Professor Oak and Delia had assumed Gary was suffering a childhood depression of sorts, which wasn't really surprising based on what he had gone through, and had told Ash that the older boy just needed some time to himself. But as the weeks went on, quickly turning into months, both adults were starting to doubt that depression was the case.

Gary had always been a stubborn child, it was a trait he shared with Ash, but even Professor Oak had never seen his behaviour go this far. He tried talking with Gary, hoping to at least find out why no longer wanted anything to do with Ash, but the answer was always the same;

"_'Cause he's just a loser._"

The Professor had never told Ash, but then, he didn't need to; by the time Gary had at least started to speak around him, rather than shout, he'd made no secret in hiding his now supposed hatred for Ash.

The older boy's words had hurt, but despite every negative action Gary had directed upon him, the only thing Ash had ever wanted was to have his best friend back.

It was just too bad Gary didn't feel the same way.

As time went on, even Ash could see that anything he did to try and make up with his once best friend was pointless. Gary didn't like him anymore. And by the time Ash had been forced to accept that, a full year had passed since that Saturday morning.

A week later was his eighth birthday; one he'd spent crying alone in his room.

Needless to say, things hadn't got better in the later two years. After losing his best friend, Ash found no reason to find anyone else to take that place, instead choosing to spend his time away from the other kids in Pallet Town. It seemed like Gary had chosen the same, and any chance meetings between the two were few and far between. Not to mention unpleasant for the younger of the two.

But in those final few months before obtaining their trainer's license, something had sparked between the two of them. Maybe it had started with Gary's teasing of the raven haired boy, mostly about how bad of a trainer he would become, or possibly about Ash's proclaimation that he would catch every type of Pokémon in the world, something that Gary had insisted was impossible, but whatever the case, somehow the former friends had ended up as rivals.

Namely, it was Gary who had ultimately started it, but for Ash, even though the two still weren't close to becoming friends again - if such a thing were even possible anymore - to be back on speaking terms again with Gary, even if it was mostly teasing and arguments, was more than he could have hoped for. Thus, he accepted it readily.

The rivalry had lasted years, longer than Ash had expected, but even though he openly disliked Gary for everything he'd done, there was no denying that Ash still cared for his rival, something he would never admit to anyone but himself. There were times, mostly when he hadn't seen Gary in a long while, when he hoped that maybe his rival would agree to at least be somewhat aquainted again. But not long after he'd considered this, sure enough, his path would cross with Gary's again, and the way the emerald eyed teen would react around Ash was enough to crush those hopes.

It was a long time before Ash could say two words to Gary without the latter teasing him about something or other, but gradually, things improved between them both. By then, Ash knew that things could never be quite the same between the two of them, even when they'd both decided to end their childish rivalry at the Silver Conference, but to be able to call Gary his friend again, even a distant friend, was enough for him. Maybe not what he would have chosen, but he could live with that.

_Intuition_

Across town, just a short drive from the harbour, Professor Rowan's lab stood close to Route 201, a location chosen to keep peace with the rest of the town. More than once, both the Professor and his aides had to deal with an overly energetic Pokémon, who usually ended up esaping. As the lab had previously stood closer to the town's center, any escaped Pokémon caused a ruckus for Sandgem's citizens, who were always less than pleased to have to deal with the situation.

So, to counter such problems from occuring, the lab had been rebuilt closer to the forest that grew near the outskirts of one side of the town. With the Pokémon preferring to scamper off into the thickness of the trees rather than towards many strange, and usually annoyed, humans, it was the perfect choice not just for that, but to build a preserve for both wild, and stored Pokémon. And with the residential Pokémon generally being willing to help out with the arriving starters, it made finding the wayward trio that much easier, especially when they would do most anything to avoid being beaten.

But on those rare occasions when the escaped starter would return willingly, it was more often than not because they were accompanied by a trainer, which happened to be the exact reason for the blue penguin currently residing in his trainer's arms.

A slight frown rested upon the blunette's face as she stood staring at the front door of the lab she'd first visited over a year ago, tapping her foot with impatience.

Once again, when it became apparent that no one was going to open the door from the other side, she let out a long breath of air. "Do you think Professor Rowan went out, Piplup?" She directed the question at the Pokémon in her arms, who chirped a '_Lup_' of response.

Huffing again, Dawn brushed her hair over her shoulder, silently debating whether or not she should simply go in and see for herself. It did seem quite rude to go inside uninvited, but considering she probably wouldn't get an answer otherwise, her only other option was waiting for someone to appear. And with the sun bearing down an impossible heat upon her, the latter option didn't appeal to her in the slightest. Just standing where she was had beats of sweat creeping down her forehead, which she quickly wiped away.

It didn't take long for her to make her decision. "C'mon Piplup," she said. "Maybe they're all out back."

As a water Pokémon, Piplup was just as eager to escape the heat, and quickly nodded his agreement, his action accompanied by an enthusiastic "_Pip lup!_"

Needing no further encouragement, Dawn twisted the door knob, finding that the door was unlocked. "Well, someone's definitely here," she mused off handedly to herself, pushing the door open enough to peek inside.

From what she remembered, the lab just more or less the same as the last time she'd been there, the only notable difference being the absense of any life. In a weird way, it was almost spooky, seeing the interior of the lab so devoid of movement, or even sound.

Even so, Dawn slipped inside, allowing the door to close behind her, before taking several steps forward, both she and Piplup craning their necks to try and spot any non existent movement.

"Hello?" She called out once it became apparent no one was around. "Hello ~ ?" She repeated, drawing out the final syllable for emphasis. "Professor Rowan, are you here?"

Her words echoed through the empty space, but still, there was no reply.

"Hmm," Dawn mused to herself, bending down slightly to place her starter on the ground. "Do you hear anything, Piplup?" She inquired, tilting her head slightly.

With a rather serious expression, Piplup frowned slightly, listening out for any sounds. It wasn't long before he jerked his head to the left. "_Pip lup!_" He chirped, pointing in the correct direction.

Turning to face where her Pokémon was pointing, she instantly noticed the back door, the keys still in the lock. A grin spread across her face, as she instantly ran forward. "Cool, come on, Piplup!" She called out, her starter waddling along as fast as his little feet could manage.

The door wasn't far from where she'd been standing, and so she'd reached it within five seconds, but just as she was extending her arm in mid run to reach for the handle, the door itself swung open, resulting in her colliding face first with the person entering the lab.

A yelp of surprise escaped Dawn's lips as she stumbled backwards from the force of the collision, but she managed to avoid a potentially painful landing on the floor when a hand quickly grabbed hold of her upper arm, holding her up in mid fall.

"Whoa, are you okay?" The voice inquired. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone to be here .. "

Both flustered and embarassed, an apology quickly fell from Dawn's mouth before she could think twice about it, "Oh, no, no! It wasn't your fault!" She said quickly, working on steadying herself on her own two feet, and smoothing her hair with her free hand. "I should have been looking, but I didn't know you were .. "

Finally looking up at the one she'd unintentionally run into, her words trailed off and a pink blush lit up her cheeks. "Hey, you're the poetry guy's grandson!" No sooner had she spoken, did her hand clamp over her mouth, as if it would help make the situation any less embarassing for her. "Oh my god .. " She whined quietly.

On the other hand, Gary, over the initial surprise at quite literally running into Dawn, offered her a small smile. "Hey, don't worry about it," he said, unknowingly keeping his hold on her arm. "You didn't know anymore than I did, right?"

Dawn only shrugged slightly, her cheeks still a pleasant shade of pink. "Sure, I guess, but still .. I shouldn't have been running."

"Like I said, don't worry about it," Gary repeated, admittedly confused as to why the blunette was so flustered over something so simple. "I'm fine, and you're fine; nothing to worry about."

At this, Dawn forced herself to meet his gaze, her lips curving into a nervous smile. "Yeah, you're ri - _ight!_" Along with her eyebrows, the last syllable of her sentence rose in pitch, as her eyes caught sight of the fact that Gary just so happened to be without a shirt; the object of clothing being tucked into his belt. Apparently she'd underestimated just how warm it was outside.

From the blush that was still staining the blunette's cheeks, combined with her attention now being directed at his chest, it became quite obvious to Gary that she was not going to be saying anything to follow up on their awkward, to say the least, greeting.

"So," he said, if only to break the silence, dropping the sack of food by the door, propping it open, "can I help you with anything?" He offered, genuinely wondering why Dawn was here.

Indeed, it seemed as though his words had jump started her thoughts back into gear. "Oh! Right, yeah, I came to see Professor Rowan; I'm leaving for the Hoenn region today, and I wanted to say good bye," she paused, turning her head to the right, as though the professor would simply walk into view at the mention of his name. "Uh, where is he, anyway? Is it just you here?" She added, turning back to face the researcher.

"Uh, yeah, the assistants went to Solaceon yesterday to pick up the baby starter pokémon," Gary explained, sliding his hands into his pockets. "And Professor Rowan should be back any minute now; I doubt you'll have to wait much longer."

Dawn gave him a small smile. "Well, that's a relief, I wasn't sure if he'd gone out of town and I wouldn't be able to see him before I left." As a slight after thought, she added, "There aren't many cruises to Hoenn from Sandgem, so it would complicate things to postpone it."

Giving a nod of understanding, Gary mused, "Yeah, it's not easy to travel by boat .. " From personal experience through his travels, trying to get on a ship to another region was nearly more trouble than it was worth. Mostly, he preferred using his pokémon to travel; the trip was longer, but more or less stress free, considering you didn't get lost.

As their conversation was going on, both teenagers had gradually edged their way into the center of the room, while the two pokémon quite happily conversed with one another, Piplup chirping away, while Umbreon mostly listening, nodding her head rhythmically, and occasionally adding a '_Bre_' of response.

"Where is Professor Rowan, anyway?" Dawn asked, hopping up slightly to sit on a large metal box of sorts. She assumed it was a part of whatever machinery the professor had installed in his lab, but for the life in her, she couldn't put a name to it. All that really mattered to her was that it seemed sturdy enough to sit on, even if it wasn't exactly comfortable. The confirmation came when Gary failed to protest.

"He went down to the docks," the researcher replied, pulling the shirt from his belt and tossing it in a laundry basket that stood by the wall. With everything that went on in the lab, more often than not, both the professor and his assistants had ended up with rather unclean lab coats, and instead of having to trek down to the laundry room in the basement, it was purely easier to put a basket in the lab itself. Since Gary's current shirt was in no hygenic state to wear inside a lab, it worked out quite perfectly.

"Really?" Dawn inquired, her lips forming a slight frown as she wondered why the professor would have business there. "Why, is he meeting someone?"

Though Dawn's question was innocent, hearing it made Gary pause just as he was turning back to face, realisation hitting him, and showing in his emerald eyes. He knew exactly why Professor Rowan had left that morning, but he'd not once thought about it, nor had the truth of the matter really sunk in. Realising that Ash was going to be staying under the same roof as him for the foreseeable future, that he was very likely in Sandgem right this minute, on his way to the lab, hit him as forcefully as Umbreon's Skull Bash.

As the information ran through his mind, it took several seconds for Dawn to notice his frozen state. " .. Gary?" She asked, almost hesitantly.

Hearing his name being called seemed to bring Gary out of his thoughts. He blinked a few times before meeting Dawn's gaze, suddenly remembering what was being asked. "Uh, yeah, he is," he said quickly, as though the past few seconds hadn't happened. "He's bringing Ash here," he added, figuring Dawn would like to know that; she was a close friend of his, after all.

Upon hearing his words, Dawn's reaction was exactly what Gary had assumed it to be. The frown slowly slipped off her face, in unison with her sapphire eyes widening.

"What?" She asked, looking both surprised and confused. "Ash? He's coming here?" Though she'd heard Gary correctly, she couldn't quite believe his words.

Offering confirmation, Gary gave a short nod. "Yeah, he's staying here with the professor and I for a while," he elaborated.

With this said, Dawn couldn't hide her bewilderment. "He .. he is?" She asked in near disbelief. "But .. he just left, didn't he? Why is he coming back?"

The most recent question caught Gary off guard. He was just about to open his mouth to reply, when it struck him that he didn't actually know. When his grandfather had asked if it was okay for Ash, Delia and Tracey to stay, he hadn't disclosed why they would be, and when Gary had asked, he hadn't recieved an answer. Not even Professor Rowan had given him a decent response, instead having avoided the quesion. Usually, Gary would have been determined to find out the reason, but had been conveniently distracted by the youngest Shieldon, who had gotten into quite a state over the others polishing their armour on it's favourite tree.

Such childish possesiveness. It was rather cute, though.

Seeing that Dawn was still waiting for a reply, Gary hastily cleared his throat. Quite unnecessarily, but it was more out of habit than anything else. Even so, he didn't have an answer ready, but as it turned out, it didn't matter.

"Uh, because - "

"He's offered to help out with the preserve," someone, mercifully, cut in. Both teens turned sharply to face the newcomer, who turned out to be Professor Rowan himself, with both Ash and Tracey on his left.

"The preserve?" Dawn questioned, when her gaze fell on Ash. Upon seeing him, she instantly brightened. "Ash, hi!" She greeted, instantly jumping to her feet and running over to him.

As Dawn had been moments before his arrival, Ash looked quite bewildered to see his former travelling companion. Though unfortunately for him, his current state managed to slow any reaction he could make, as by the time barely managed to say, "Hey, Dawn," the girl herself had thrown her arms around his neck, colliding with Ash in a way that would normally just knock the breath out of him, but with his newly aquired bruises, she instead sent an unpleasant wave of pain radiating through him.

The grunt of both pain and shock that passed Ash's lips was overlapped by the cheerful ramblings from the girl who had her arms wrapped tightly around him in a surprisingly strong hold. His eyes wide and his entire body tense, he stiffly returned the hug, noticing Tracey visibly wincing in sympathy for him.

Throughout this, Dawn remained oblivious to the discomfort she was causing her friend, and no one seemed able to cause her the guilt by informing her. Despite the pain, Ash was honestly grateful for that.

Eventually, though, she pulled away, with Ash managing to hide the look of pain from his features. Then again, Dawn seemed rather hyped up to be able to notice otherwise. "Wow, Ash, I can't believe you're back so soon!" She gushed, positively beaming now. "I'm happy, but .. wow!"

Ash managed a small smile, which seemed quite forced. Though putting into account the fact that Dawn had just run into him, it was understandable. "It's great to see you, too," his voice sounding slightly strained, but again, it was obvious why. "I didn't think I'd see you here, though," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head, an almost sheepish look on his face; to Ash, it was almost instinct to don that expression.

A flash of excitement shone in Dawn's eyes, and she almost started bouncing on her heels in anticipation. "I'm leaving for Hoenn today," she announced. "And I only came by here because - oh!" She gasped slightly as she remembered her reason for coming to the lab in the first place. It wasn't exactly good manners to ignore the one person you came over to see.

Catching her unintended rudeness, Dawn turned to face Professor Rowan, sharing the same sheepish expression as Ash. "Um, sorry, I didn't mean to .. " She trailed off, as though hoping not saying it would somehow make it less rude.

The professor, however, merely chuckled. "That's quite alright, Dawn," he assured. "I myself can get carried away when talking to old friends."

Dawn gave a small, almost nervous laugh, the pink blush returning to light up her cheeks once more. "Um, yeah .. like I said, I'm leaving for Hoenn today, and Piplup and I wanted to come by and say good bye," she explained.

At the mention of his name, the blue penguin raced forward, toppling slightly, but managing to maintain his balance as he reached his trainer, puffing out his chest and giving his own, "Pip! Pip lup!" to follow Dawn's words.

Dawn couldn't help but smile at her pokémon bending down slightly to scoop him up into her arms again. "Good bye, and thank you," she went on, voicing Piplup's poké speech.

"Indeed," the professor mused. "You two are off to Hoenn to further your dream to become a coordinator, are you not?"

Both Dawn and Piplup nodded in confirmation. "Since Contests originated there, I thought it would be the best place to go next," she said, smiling again.

As Dawn directed her conversation towards the professor, Ash was now included in those who were simply standing in silence while the two chatted away. Tracey seemed content enough, his eyes scanning the room they were in, like he was taking in every last detail. Ash had to fight the urge to roll his eyes; with the amount of pokémon at the lab, many of which Tracey didn't even know existed, he would have more than enough to keep him busy, filling his sketch books all day, and likely most of the night. No doubt his only dilemma would be running out of paper.

Ash .. he didn't know what he would do to keep himself busy. Normally, he could find someway to entertain himself, but then again, many of those times in the past, especially more recent times, he'd always had Pikachu by his side. Even when the electric mouse had been off doing his own thing, it was just the knowledge that he was always there.

It was uncomfortable to be without his starter for so long, like going outside without a hat. And since it was even rarer to see Ash without his hat than to see him without Pikachu by his side, it went without saying that those moments were not ones that the trainer enjoyed.

Tearing his gaze from the Watcher, Ash's own eyes travelled around the lab, but not to take in details as much as Tracey was. It was more the general layout of the room; he was a little surprised to see that it hadn't much changed since the last time he'd been here, almost a full year ago. Then again, he guessed it wasn't really unexpected. After all, in all the years he'd spent around Professor Oak's lab, the decor was pretty much identical each time he saw it.

Apparently there wasn't much to change, aside from the computer upgrades.

"Ash?"

Having tuned out the ongoing conversation, the sudden mention of his name being directed right at him brought Ash out of his thoughts, blinking a few times, his eyes having glazed over. He looked slightly to his right, enough so that he met Dawn's questioning gaze.

Realising that she was asking something of him, he quickly shook his head slightly, as if to push away any distracting thoughts. "Uh, yeah?" He inquired. "What is it?"

Dawn raised an eyebrow slightly, a knowing expression on her face; she knew Ash well enough to identify the look he got when he was lost in his thoughts. "I asked you where Pikachu is," she inquired innocently.

At the mention of his pokémon, every muscle in Ash's body tensed. He remembered everything clearly, but hearing Pikachu's name aloud magnified the emotional effect. Though whether or not his body language gave anything away, he was saved from having to answer.

"He's outside with the pokémon," Tracey swiftly intervined. "As soon as we arrived, he ran around to say hi. I guess he knows some of them, huh?" He noticed the slightly questioning look the blunette was giving him, and offered her a kind smile. "I'm Tracey, by the way," he introduced.

Able to put a name to his face, Dawn gave him an identical smile in return. "I'm Dawn," she replied. "Though I think we've spoken before."

Tracey shrugged. "Yeah, probably," he agreed. "With all the people Ash meets, it's sorta hard to keep track."

The coordinator raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" She inquired, her gaze flickering over to the raven haired trainer, whose own eyes quickly took an interest in examining a nearby table.

Maybe it was a trivial thing to get embarassed over, but with the rather suggestive look Dawn was directing at him in the current moment, it was surprisingly hard not to. With all the months they'd spent travelling together, Ash would have thought he would be over Dawn's inquisitive antics. Apparently, he was wrong."So," a voice whispered in his ear, "back already, Ashy boy?"

On instinct, Ash jumped slightly and snapped his head to the left to face the one talking, knowing full well who it was, even without the obvious give aways. Straight away, sienna eyes met emerald green, which were glinting in a way that outright proved the researcher was smirking. Sometimes Ash wondered if he was capable of expressing any other emotion.

"What's your point?" He half snapped back. He wasn't angry - not even close - but really, to act as anything other than rivals with Gary was so .. foreign. Ash knew Gary didn't hate him, and the feeling was mutual, but childhood rivalries didn't die down easily. Even when they were somewhat friends, to act as such would more awkward than either of them could manage.

It was just easier this way.

Perfectly on cue, Gary shrugged. "Well, you know," he said, as though truly contemplating it. "I sorta figured you just couldn't stay away."

Whatever the implication was, it made Ash's cheeks burn. "What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded, though instantly regretting it. No doubt it was exactly what Gary wanted.

As expected, the researcher's smirk grew. "Seems a bit coincidental, don't you think?" He inquired in an innocent tone, clashing drastically with his expression. "You just left Sinnoh, but only a few days later, you return on the day that just so happens to be the very one that she," he pointed his thumb at Dawn, "turns up." His emerald gaze flickered over at the blunette, who was oblivious to the fact that she was being discussed. "And here I thought you had a thing for the red head .. "

"_What?!_" Ash yelped, subconsciously cursing himself for taking the bait. "Me and _Dawn?_ Are you kidding me?!"

Previously unknown to him, his outburst had attracted the attention of the three currently standing by the door, the youngest of which was now blushing a violent shade of pink.

"Huh?!" She gasped, her sapphire eyes wide. "Wh - what are you .. ? Ash?! N - no way!" She spluttered, immediately catching on to the situation, which was to her embarassment.

While the two teens were both blushing and furiously denying his implication, Gary feigned indifference. "You know what they say about the loudest denial ~ "

Both the trainer and the coordinator flushed a bright, cherry red, but before any more words could pass their lips, they were cut off by a chuckling coming from the professor.

"I think that's quite enough, you three," he intervined, though not sternly. He then looked at the two once rivals. "Though I have to say, I don't think I've heard you two banter since before you were trainers."

Maybe he had imagined it, but just as Ash frowned, humming deeply in distaste, he could have sworn that he saw Gary wince from the corner of his eyes. Instantly, he turned to look at the researcher, whose face remained impassive.

Blinking a few times in confusion, sienna eyes locked onto emerald for several moments, the latter pair betraying no distinct emotion. Ash's gaze lingered for a few moments, neither teen moving in that time, before he broke the contact, turning back to look at Dawn, who had appeared at his other side.

"Anyway," the blunette continued, the lingering pink on her cheeks the only indication of the earlier outburst, "I didn't know you would be here, but since you are, I just wanted to say goodbye." She gave him a friendly smile; maybe even a grateful one. "And .. thank you."

Hearing, but not quite understanding, Ash could only stare, then ask, "Huh?"

"I wanted to say thank you," she repeated, "for helping me out on my journey and everything." There was a slight hesitation as she absent mindedly smoothed out her skirt. "I wanted to tell you before you left, but I kinda lost my nerve. Maybe now is a weird time to say, since .. " Her eyes flickered over the three other occupants in the room, who each caught the implication and turned away in unison. It was almost comical. "But yeah, I wanted to say it while I had the chance, so," without warning, she wrapped her arms around him in another hug, which was, mercifully, less forceful than the previous one, "thank you. And good luck on your journey."

Taken by surprise for a moment, there was only the slightest pause before Ash returned the hug, replying in a hushed tone, "Yeah, you too, Dawn."

There was no denying it. Despite how little he could see of his former rival in the current moment, he was _definitely_ smirking. If not now, then no doubt Ash would be teased about that later on. Perfect, things were already off to a pleasant start.

The sudden silence was abruptly ended by the sound of Professor Rowan clearing his throat, in a way that hinted he had something to point out. "As much as I would prefer to not break up this reunion," he looked directly at Dawn, "your boat is leaving in about ten minutes."

The realisation quickly took an effect on Dawn, who jolted slightly, pulling away from Ash and straightening up. "Oh, right!" She exclaimed, "I almost forgot."

Before anyone could elaborate, Piplup was in her arms again, and she was rushing over to the front door, half waving to everyone. "I'd stay longer, but .. " She trailed off, her reasoning being obvious.

"No worries, Dawn," the professor assured. "And good luck in Hoenn."

Before she reached for the door handle, the blunette flashed them all a grateful smile. "Thank you," she replied. "And bye, all of you."

Returning her smile, Ash added, "Bye, Dawn."

Behind him, Gary raised an eyebrow at the exchange, then raised his own hand in the gesture, giving his own, "Yeah, bye Dawn," with the slightest hint of a teasing tone meant for no one other than Ash. And as dense as his former rival could be sometimes, the way he suddenly tensed up was enough to tell the researcher that he'd caught the reasoning.

Through this, Dawn had once again become engaged in a conversation with Professor Rowan, who was leading her out the front door. But unfortunately for the other trainer, it meant being almost alone with his former rival, who didn't hesitate to start riling the younger up.

"Don't worry, Ash. I'm sure she'll be back sooner or later," he teased. "Though with your particular dating history, you'll be over her in a heart beat."

Almost pouting with surpressed anger, Ash only trusted himself to say, "I don't like her."

Yet again, it seemed to be exactly what Gary wanted to hear. "Sure, you don't," he replied, his tone carrying an almost musical note. "Then why _did_ you come back? The preserve is fine as it is, and as far as I'm concerned, you can't stand my company."

At this, Ash frowned, folding his arms and mumbling, "You got that right," just loud enough for Gary to hear.

The researcher in question chuckled. "And yet," he rested a hand on Ash's shoulder, "you just keep coming back."

That was the button to overload Ash's self control, and Gary pressed it without hesitation.

"What?!" Ash yelped. "No way, why would I come back to see _you?_" He knew he was falling for it, but he just couldn't bring himself to care.

Keeping his cue, Gary smirked. "From what you and Dawn proved earlier, I think I've heard enough ~ "

Ash was about to snap out a response, but before he had the chance, Professor Rowan returned, this time without Dawn.

"Alright," the professor interrupted, "that's quite enough from you two. If any of us are going to survive a week under the same roof, then I suggest you both try to get along, at the very least. And you, Gary," he turned to his assistant, "I've told you several times how unhygenic it is to be without clothing in the labratory, not to mention potentially unsafe."

In response to this, instead of following the order, Gary just raised a questioning eyebrow. "As opposed to the filthy, likely germ infested shirt I was wearing before?" He replied, a hint of a challenge residing in his tone. "I'm not sure where you get your logic, professor, but personally, I'd say that by going without a shirt, I've reduced the risk of having to quarantine the entire lab due to unsanitary reasons."

Anyone else likely would have instantly become angry at the snarky response, but Professor Rowan didn't so much as blink for a full few seconds, before raising his own eyebrow to mimic the researcher's expression. "And yet by standing there, as you have been for the previous few minutes, such a risk still stands as you have yet to do anything to rid yourself of the apparent contamination currently residing on your body. So, in standing by my original comment," he indicated towards the staircase, "I'll repeat: go and get a shirt on. Maybe even shower before you do so. There's no air freshener left, and I'd prefer not to have you contaminating the air of my working space with your natural stench."

Both Ash and Tracey were expecting Gary to contradict the professor's statement, come backs being something of a second nature to him, but instead, all he did was laugh. "If it'll calm you down," he replied, "then consider it done."

Before he'd even finished his sentence, Gary was already walking in the direction of the stairs, and in moments, he was gone, the slightly muffled sound of his bedroom door closing being the indicator to allow them to speak, considering Gary wasn't in the know of what was going on. At least, not yet.

Ash was the first to speak. "Professor?"

Professor Rowan turned to look at the raven haired trainer, but instead of inviting him to continue, his own words were, "You want an explaination." Even then, he didn't need a verbal answer to know what Ash wanted.

"Professor Oak didn't tell us anything," Tracey elaborated. "He said it wasn't safe to talk to him about it, and that you'd tell us."

There was a moment in which the professor looked slightly conflicted, then he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I had assumed as much, with all that's been going on, I can't say I'm surprised you know next to nothing," he said, mostly to himself.

Impatient as always, Ash was quick to ask, "Would you just tell us what's going on?"

The professor lowered his hand, his eyes meeting the young trainer's. "I wish I could, but - "

"But _what?!_" Ash snapped, instantly losing his temper over those few infuriating words. "Why not? Why can't you just tell us? That thing almost killed my mom and Pikachu, but no one will tell me anything!"

Seeing how his outburst had no visible effect on the professor, it did nothing to calm Ash's anger. "Dammit, I don't get why no one will say anything. What's the big secret?"

While he could have offered a reply straight away, there was a pause that lasted several seconds before Professor Rowan let out a long, drawn out sigh. "Ash, if I could, then I would explain everything to you right here and now," he said, his tone calm.

"So why - "

"Ash," the professor cut in, his tone unchanging, "it's not about keeping anything from you, in fact, you very much have a right to know, as does Gary. My reason for not telling you now has nothing to do with physical impossibilities," he explained, the seriousness in his grey eyes becoming more pronounced with each word spoken, "it's to do with you. What happened to you, and what is continuing as we speak, isn't a random occurence; you are more involved than you realise. For the sake of your emotional well being, I cannot tell you everything right here and now. You don't truly expect the explaination to be something so short and simple to be told in a mere matter of minutes, do you?"

By the time the professor had finished speaking, Ash's anger had simmered down to nearly nothing, replaced now my a mixture of curiosity and confusion. Truthfully, yes, he had initially jumped to the assumption that everything could be easily explained, but that wasn't what has him staring at the professor.

"W .. what?" He managed to say, his voice now quiet in comparison to just a few minutes earlier. "What do you mean .. ? What do I have to do with anything?"

Ever cryptic in his response, the only words the professor spoke were, "More than you know."

Before Ash could say much more than, "But what - ?" the sound of a door slamming shut alerted all three of them to the researcher upstairs, who was currently on his way down.

Ash, who's eyes had instinctively flickered over to the direction of the sound, turned back to look at the professor, who was inexplicably standing by his side, a serious, and almost urgent expression on his face.

"Ash, you need to do as I say on this." Without waiting for any kind of a reply from the trainer, the elder went on, "I promise I will explain it all to you, but now is not the time. All I ask is that you don't inform Gary of any of this; there is too much he doesn't know, and to recieve such news would be catastrophic." He quickly swivelled round to confirm Gary wasn't yet within a distance to eavesdrop, then went on in a hushed whisper, "A lot of this revolves around the two of you, and what Samuel and I are dealing with is more dangerous than you can imagine."

As Ash struggled to let this information sink in, Professor Rowan walked past him immediately following the hastily explained details, as though he hadn't stopped to say those words, and barely two seconds later, Gary appeared at the bottom of the stairs, his torso now covered.

"Ah, Gary," the professor called out, attracting the researcher's attention, "I think the Shieldon are fighting again. Could you go sort them out?"

Gary gave a slight nod. "Sure," was his simple reply. As he walked across the room and towards the open door leading to the preserve, his emerald eyes locked onto Ash's sienna. Just for a moment, but enough to make Ash feel uncomfortable under the researcher's stare, and in the next moment, it was as though no movement had been made.

No one spoke, or even moved beyond breathing until Gary was once again out of hearing range. This time, it was the professor who broke the silence, again speaking directly to Ash.

"You need to listen to me, Ash," he said, getting straight to the point. "I know you have a habit of doing the impossible, what you did for the Lake Guardians was enough to prove that to anyone, but for the sake of others, as well as yourself," an emotion flickered in his grey eyes; desperation, "you need to do as Samuel and I say."

"Why?" The question was asked before Ash could stop himself. Not that he would have; the lack of answers was becoming worse as time went on.

The professor sighed. "I can't tell you why, not yet," he admitted sincerely, "but trust me when I say that this is much more dangerous than you can ever imagine. Even with everything you've done in your life combined, you wouldn't stand a chance, not even with the entire Kanto region backing you up."

At those last words, Ash couldn't help but feel as though the air surrounding him had gotten several degrees colder. "What do you mean?" He asked, his voice reduced to a whisper.

The trainer hadn't been expecting an answer, but he got one anyway. With a grave expression, the professor looked him straight in the eyes, making Ash shiver involuntarily.

"What I mean," he stated, his voice suddenly weak, "is that if we lose .. " He hesitated for a few moments, as if it were physically straining to get the words out.

Just as Ash was about to open his mouth, the sentence was finished;

" .. then it could mean the end of everything."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Does anyone else think it's adorable how Dawn fangirls over Gary in the anime? On a similar note, I don't like how I portrayed Dawn in this chapter. She seemed so .. y'know. But I have one thing to say about that: Cavaliershipping. Can you blame her?

Yeah, this was annoying to write, but it's done, and things get much more interesting in the next chapter. So until then, buh-bye! xx


	8. Chapter Seven

**Author's Note:** Hurray for super fast update! Well, not quite, but considering I had to rewrite the whole damn thing when my laptop deleted it, I'd say this is pretty good progress, is it not?

**Disclaimer:** .. I think that word speaks for itself.

* * *

_Intuition_

**Chapter Seven**

He was bored. It had been barely eighteen hours, and Ash Ketchum was _bored_.

At least, that was one way of putting it. Usually, he was quite capable of entertaining himself, but even then, he'd always had Pikachu with him. It was strange to be without the one who had constantly been by his side for the past six years, and there were even moments in which Ash forgot his pokémon wasn't in the same region as him. Like this morning, it had struck him as odd that Pikachu wasn't asleep on the pillow next to him, only for realisation to hit him a few moments later, leaving him with a heavy feeling in his stomach.

It was lonely without his best friend, even with a group of his other pokémon around him, it just wasn't right without Pikachu. And what was worse was the knowledge that the absense of his starter was the least troublesome of his wide range of conflicting emotions.

Ever since his rather cryptic and less than helpful explanation, Professor Rowan had barely spoken two words to the raven haired trainer, who was becoming more and more frustrated as time went on. All in all, it wasn't fair. Ever since being informed of how dangerous the whole thing was, and that he was 'more involved than he realised', Ash couldn't stop thinking about it all.

It was infurating, like using the voice control on the glitchy video phones in the various pokémon centres, where no matter how you say it, nor how many times, you never get anywhere. Plus the keypad is broken, so there's no other alternative than to grit your teeth and bare with it. That was what it was like for Ash when trying to speak with the professor.

And it wasn't like he had just been sitting around ever since, simply assuming the answers would come to him. He'd tried to get answers, it just wasn't helping in the least that Professor Rowan kept finding ways to edge round the subject. Whenever Ash opened his mouth to ask, there was always _something_ that required the professor's assistance else where. And Ash _knew_ he was doing it on purpose.

With that, it was confusing him to no end. He understood what Professor Rowan had told him about his emotional well being, but if that meant having to wait a prolonged period of time to actually get that information, then Ash was not willing to get on board with that.

Were they all blind? After all, they knew exactly what had happened in the previous few days, ranging from the unforeseen attack that left the entire Ketchum residence hospitalised, resulting in Delia falling into a coma, and Ash being forced to leave the region for his own safety, so wouldn't it be better to simply get it over and done with? Waiting wasn't doing anyone any favours.

And that was another thing. Waking up that morning, Ash had requested to call Professor Oak, promising it wasn't to pester the elder for answers, but instead to ask about his family. Of course, the request had been denied, which even Tracey had been outraged to hear. The watcher himself agreed wholeheartedly that if Ash was really as involved as the professor said he was, then he definitely had a right to know everything. And even if he wasn't, then after very nearly losing his own life, as well as those of his family, then he still deserved answers.

Tracey had been helping out as much as he could on the subject, which mostly involved keeping Gary far away enough so that the professor couldn't use the excuse that he could over hear. It didn't work, but as Tracey put it, at least they tried.

And that was another thing: Gary. It was a little known fact of the two former rivals; lying wasn't something that had ever existed between them. They'd never had a reason to. Sure, they knew all about it being a common thing in the lives of pretty much everyone; the lies, the secrecy, and neither of them had ever understood it. The time came around the time they were both four, and Gary's parents had an argument over a secret that one had been keeping from the other. Both were furious at one another, an upsetting event for Gary to witness. In their young minds, neither could understand why anyone would lie to the ones they cared about, and had made a vow right then and there; to never lie, or keep secrets from each other for as long as either of them should live.

It may have been a childish promise, one not made to last, but maybe this one was genuinely sincere, for both Gary and Ash had stayed good on their vow, never keeping anything from the other. When Ash had accidently released the trio of starter pokémon in his intention to play with them, he hadn't confessed to the scary-when-annoyed Professor Oak, instead tearfully telling the truth to Gary, who had enveloped him in a hug and assured his young friend that he wouldn't get in trouble. It wasn't ten minutes later that Gary had walked right up to his grandfather and confessed to a crime he didn't commit, recieving a stern telling off from the elder, in addition to being grounded for a week with not even Ash for company.

But what the professor wasn't aware of was that they'd both secretly communicated in that time. From their days spent playing on the preserve, they'd both befriended many of the pokémon residing there; one of them was a young Pidgey, whom they'd both helped in teaching it to fly, and in return, the small flying type had been more than willing to show off it's skill by carrying their messages back and forth.

It was a neat little system, and in more than one letter, Ash had apologised for getting Gary in trouble, while the emerald eyed boy had repeatedly assured him that as his best friend, it was his responsibility to take care of him.

Several months later was when Ash had been able to return the favour by insisting that he was the one who had accidently spilled ice cream on the cream cushions his mother had brought just the week before. He'd recieved his own form of punishment, but hadn't regretted his actions for a second, instead proud that he had been able to help his best friend.

Even when their friendship had been cut short, neither had ever kept the truth from the other. It was those cherished childhood moments that were too pure to be tarnished. Simply put, neither could ever find it in them to lie to the other, not even at the height of their rivalry. Mostly, their so called 'conversations' had been little more than teasing on Gary's side, and arguing on Ash's, but none of it had ever been an outright lie. No matter what, even if Gary truly hated every fibre of Ash's being, the trainer could never lose confidence in knowing that the reseacher would be anything but honest with him.

And that was causing him a greater amount guilt than he could manage. Many fabricated stories had been spun to cover up the truth of the matter; as far as Gary knew, Ash and Tracey were simply there for some sort of vacation. It struck Ash as odd that Gary had yet to question this, but then again, it could be that he was distracted.

Surprisingly enough, there was a lot going on around the lab; more than Ash had yet to see happening at Professor's Oak's. For starters, the pokémon were a lot more active. The extensive gardens surrounding the lab in Pallet were always thriving with pokémon, both caught and wild, but there was something about Professor Rowan's that had pokémon arriving left, right and center. And what was even more bizarre was the affection they displayed for Gary.

Sure, Gary had always been gifted in training pokémon, but aside from Umbreon, Ash had never seen him return the friendly gestures to his own. Admittedly, Ash had initially assumed Gary simply caught pokémon without bothering to get to know them, even if he was a good trainer, but even so, it could be understandable, considering Gary had caught far more than two hundred, and to spend enough time with each one individually to the point of showing affection, no doubt such a feet could take years to achieve.

Gary cared for his pokémon, that much was obvious. After all, an Eevee could only evolve into an Umbreon through sharing a mutual trust and friendship with their trainer; his own starter was living evidence. But still, it was strangely foreign to witness any pokémon showing such dedication to earning the researcher's attention, much less having him return it.

It was a strange world, indeed.

Sighing deeply to himself, Ash leaned back against the tree he was sitting beneath, allowing his sienna eyes to scan the scene before him. That day, like the one before, had brought an unwavering bout of sunshine with it, bringing the temperature up to a level far beyond anything Ash was comfortable with. Even sitting in a cool patch of shade was nearly too much; beads of sweat continuously formed on his forehead, and his skin glistened with moisture, making his shirt stick to him in a way that irritated him. He would have taken it off, but unfortunately, that would raise Gary's concern.

Having his arm in a cast was easy enough for Ash to make excuses for. In fact, it was Gary who had made the excuse. Once Ash had taken off his jacket, bringing the cast into view, Gary had assumed he'd obtained the injury whilst on his journey. With no reason to say otherwise, Ash had chosen to agree. His other injuries, however, such as the bruises covering his back and the damaged ribs, weren't things Gary was aware of. Though as long as Ash didn't take his shirt off while his former rival was around, there wasn't much to worry about, hense why the damp shirt had to stay on.

Admittedly, it wasn't all bad. Not so long ago, a friendly Wooper had sympathised with him and soaked him with a water gun, providing a cool relief from the heat. It didn't take long for the heat to evaporate the water, but it had been nice while it lasted.

The Wooper in question had retreated back to the lake shortly afterwards, seeking shelter beneath the cool depths. It wasn't the only one, either; most of the water pokémon were currently frolicking in their lake, too hot to do much more.

However, some of the pokémon were enjoying the summer's day. Many fire and grass types were in their element, happily roaming the fields, playing games, dancing around, or simply soaking up the vitamin D. Their activities were what had been entertaining Ash for the past hour or so. Initially, he had come outside to find some way to pass the time, but after five minutes, he was already quite close to getting a sunburn, and had instead taken shelter in the biggest patch of shade he could find.

Umbreon had joined him not long afterwards, quite happily stretching out beside him, then quickly dozing off. Despite her dark fur, she didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by the heat, but what had surprised Ash was how she acted around him. In the past, Umbreon had always seemed quite unfriendly, and even quite arrogant, much like her trainer, but now, she seemed to have mellowed out, even allowing Ash to scratch behind her ears, which he doubted she'd have ever allowed anyone but Gary to do.

Professor Oak had often said that pokémon become more like their trainers, and like Pikachu's personality mirrored Ash's, Umbreon was undoubtably like Gary. It wasn't really suprising; Umbreon had been his very first pokémon, given to him as an Eevee on his tenth birthday, a few months before he started his journey.

The relationships between the two pairings weren't so different from one another, either; Ash and Pikachu were like two halves of a poké ball, and it was no secret that Gary utterly adored Umbreon, who felt for her trainer in a mutual fashion. It was really quite sweet seeing the two of them interact; there was a vibe surrounding Umbreon that promised pain to anyone who dared wrong her trainer. No doubt Gary felt the same way, names reversed.

As these thoughts crossed through Ash's mind, they were interrupted by a sudden rustling sound. He blinked his eyes, which had become glazed over as he lost himself in his musings, to see Gary standing a short distance away, surrounded by a large group of pokémon, each looking up at him expectingly.

Through the sudden mass of pokémon, Ash could see a sack of poké treats beside Gary, from which he was pouring food into various bowls, handing them round to the pokémon, who all seemed surprisingly patient in waiting. None of them jostled one another, wailed out complaints, or attempted to snatch food straight from the sack, or from each other. In fact, several of the older pokémon were helping the researcher out, dishing out the meals and handing them out, starting with the youngest.

Ash smiled slightly as he watched, but as his eyes locked onto Gary's face, his expression faltered. Gary was .. smiling. It was a small, slight smile, one barely even there, but it was more than Ash had seen in a long time. In fact, the last time had to be during the Silver Conference, when he and Gary had agreed to end their rivalry.

But Gary never smiled; he smirked. The expression on his face right now, while subtle, transformed him completely. He looked almost kind, like the friend Ash once had. The one who had cut him off completely without offering any reason. His Gary.

Ash would have pondered on this more, had his interest not been spiked by a rather peculiar sight. A young Wooper, possibly the one from before, was carefully sneaking up behind Gary, it's eyes focused rather mischevously upon the researcher, who remained oblivious. Ash almost wanted to alert Gary of the sudden development, but in all honesty, he wanted to see where this was going.

As it turned out, he wasn't disappointed; as soon as Gary had stood up straight from having given a Cherubi her lunch, the Wooper inhaled deeply, before soaking the researcher with a water gun, catching him off guard to the point that he yelped in suprise.

Many of the surrounding pokémon, each one having neglected to inform their carer of the impending attack, broke out laughing as Gary shook his now damp hair free of water, sending droplets flying in all directions. The Wooper burst out into a fit of giggles at it's accomplished mission, but unfortunately, it wasn't quick enough to calm down and act casual before Gary spun round, emerald eyes searching for the culprit, meaning it was caught out in a mere matter of seconds.

Sensing what was to come, the Wooper let out a squeal of delight and waddled off as fast as it's tiny feet could manage, which apparently wasn't fast enough. Almost instantly, Gary snatched the water fish pokémon up in his arms, attacking it's belly with tickles.

The young pokémon squirmed in Gary's grasp, futile in it's attempt to wriggle free, and only able to cry out '_Woopah ~ !_' through it's giggles. All in all, it was an outright adorable sight, yet it gave Ash a heavy heart to witness. Gary was laughing, displaying a genuine emotion that shone in his emerald eyes. To see his former rival like this was a rare treat that made Ash's heart swell.

Gary always did look beautiful when he smiled.

"Hey, Ash!"

At the sudden call of his name, Ash jumped slightly, his eyes having glazed over as he drifted off with his thoughts. Blinking slightly, his vision cleared to show Gary staring at him, all traces of laughter wiped away, and his emerald eyes fixed upon Ash's, betraying hints of annoyance.

Automatically clearing his throat, Ash called back, "Yeah, what?"

Getting a reaction, Gary folded his arms across his chest. "Just curious, are you gonna do anything at all, or are you just gonna sit there all day?" He inquired, a slight hint of sarcasm lacing his tone.

Catching the veiled implication, Ash quickly scrambled to his feet, not wanting to converse with Gary whilst sitting. "What's your point?" He replied, unconsciously mirroring the researcher's pose. He half expected Gary to roll his eyes, but instead, he sighed.

"If you're going to stay here, then it's good manners to offer your help," he elaborated. "Just because work is foreign to you back home doesn't mean I'm letting you get out of this one. I thought I taught you better than that?"

It was a reference to their childhood, one that caught Ash off guard. He stared at Gary, his sienna eyes wide. Gary never, literally _never_ acknowledged the fact that they were ever friends. The way he acted, it was as though those years of childhood bliss had never happened.

But Ash could easily recall the moment Gary was referencing, or rather the many moments, namely when Gary had told him it was polite to shake hands with people they just met, or how he should always wash his hands after playing outside. There were a lot of things Gary taught him, a lot of it about pokémon. The little facts about eating habits and such never remained in Ash's memory for long, but Gary had always been eternally patient with him.

Now, it didn't take much for Ash to annoy him. Like the prolonged silence midway through their conversation while Ash lost himself in his thoughts. But the moment he realised this, Ash quickly replied with, "You never asked me to do anything."

The researcher shrugged. "I'm asking now," he said simply.

With nothing to counter that, nor any reason to, Ash opted to sigh. "Fine," he relented. "What do you have in mind?"

Surprisingly enough, Ash failed to see any ill intent in the researcher's emerald eyes, and when he beckoned the trainer over without offering a verbal reply, Ash followed him, no questions asked. He supposed he should have been a bit apprehensive of what was going on in Gary's mind, as Ash was swiftly led away from the currently snacking pokémon to a pathway down the side of the lab.

Before Ash could consider whether or not he should say something, Gary led him through a set of double doors, through which the teenagers found themselves standing in what Ash could easily see was a stable, likely for Ponyta, going by the smoke alarm on the ceiling, though right now, it was empty.

"What are we doing here?" Ash asked, turning around to face Gary, who seemed like he was waiting for that very question.

"Well, since you asked," the researcher replied, "your job for today is to clean up." As if to verify, he waved his arm out, indicating to the entire room.

"All this?!" Ash yelped, his sienna eyes scanning the size of the stables. To put it simply, it was a very generous amount of space. "I can't do this on my own, it'll take hours!" He protested.

Gary let out a heavy sigh. "It will take _one_ hour at the most, Ash," he corrected. "It's not even that dirty - you'll be done in no time."

"So, if it's not dirty, then why do I have to clean it?" Ash asked, turning back to face the researcher, who didn't even attempt to fight the urge to roll his eyes.

"Because, Ash, if we don't, then the Ponyta could get sick." He raised an eyebrow at his former rival. "Surely you don't want that?"

"What? Of course not!" Ash quickly denied. There was no way he would ever wany any pokémon to get ill, much less because of his actions. "I was just asking .. "

Humming slightly, Gary stood up straight, selecting a broom from a rack of cleaning supplies and tossing it to Ash, who only just caught it. "Look, if you weren't prepared to do your part, then maybe you shouldn't have come," he said, earning a scoff from Ash.

"I didn't wanna come," he murmured, but Gary just waved his hand slightly.

"'Course you didn't," he replied, a hint of teasing residing in his tone. "I know you're upset Dawn left, but it's not like you won't ever see her again. Not to mention, you could have gone to Hoenn with her, taken another stab at the Ever Grande Conference, or something."

At the mention of his former companion, a pink glow stained Ash's cheeks. "I don't like Dawn in that way," he insisted.

"That's not the way I see it," Gary responded. "Even so, maybe travelling with her again would have done you good. Who knows, maybe you would have finally kissed a girl; with all the ones you travelled with, I'd say it's long overdue."

At this Ash, visibly blanched. "What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes at Gary, who shrugged again.

"Just that it seems a bit hard to believe. A guy and a girl out on the open read, travelling together, and nothing happens?" He clicked his tongue. "Unless, of course, you don't swing that way."

The pink glow on Ash's face suddenly escalated into a cherry red blush. "Are you saying I'm gay?!" He yelped, the thought of his former rival considering he was gay bringing him more embarassment than he would care to admit.

Seeing he'd touched a nerve, Gary smirked slightly. "Remember what I told you about the loudest denial?"

Ash wanted nothing more than to snap back at him, but knew there was no way out of this without supplying Gary with more ammunition, so instead opted for a slight huff before turning away, absent mindedly sweeping the ground.

Unfortunately, Gary wasn't quite done yet. "You're probably right, though. Travelling with a girl would just distract you," he added, leaning back against the door.

"Meaning?" Ash grumbled, despite knowing where this would lead.

"Well, for starters, you reached the top eight in the Ever Grande Conference, right?"

" .. right?"

Gary quirked an eyebrow. "Isn't that the exact same score you got in the Silver Conference?"

At loss of what his former rival was aiming at, Ash could only stare at him. "What d'you mean?" He asked, but one look at the expression on Gary's face, he wished he'd never spoken.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," the researcher began, "but I was under the impression that people got better at their professions as time went on? In the years between the Silver and Ever Grande Conference, you gotten neither better, nor worse." He tutted slightly, shaking his head. "I hate to tell you this, Ash, but I think you're losing your touch."

With a crash, the broom clattered to the floor, as Ash stood glaring at Gary, his sienna eyes blazing. "I am not!" He insisted. "Just because you gave up doesn't mean I will!"

The researcher sighed again, shaking his head, mostly for added effect. "You really don't get it, do you?" Seeing confusion flickering in Ash's eyes, Gary went on, "Yes, I chose to become a researcher instead of remaining a trainer, but wasn't that something I've always wanted?"

It was true; ever since Gary had first been asked what he wanted to be when he was older, he had smiled and said he wanted to be like his grandpa. Being a trainer was something he'd wanted to do, partcially because he had to, but mostly because Ash wanted him to. Back then, he just couldn't say no to his raven haired friend.

"Your point?" Ash inquired.

Still smirking, Gary kept his emerald eyes locked on Ash's sienna. "Adds up a little to well, doesn't it? After you - finally - beat me in a pokémon battle, it just so happens to be the moment I decide to become a researcher. What does that tell you?"

Ash frowned. "That you couldn't take losing," he replied.

From the sudden glimmer in his emerald eyes, Gary was likely supressing the urge to laugh. How thoughtful of him ..

"Maybe so," he mused. "Or it could have been more to do with the fact that it was almost painful to have someone as incompetant as you as a rival, so in an act of pity .. who's to say I didn't just throw the match?"

The effect Gary was aiming for had no doubt been achieved. For a moment, all Ash could do was stare at his rival, blinking a few times, a hazy emotion flickering in his sienna eyes, before he suddenly exploded in a fit of anger.

"_No way!_" He shouted. "You're lying!"

Gary's smirk simply grew. "Well, if I am," his emerald eyes glittered, "you'll never know."

That did it. Those few words sent Ash's temper spiralling beyond his control; fists clenched and eyes burning, the trainer was less than half a second away from punching every part of the researcher he could reach, only for a sudden, calmer sound to cut through the metaphorical storm surrounding Ash.

"_Brey_."

Caught slightly off guard, both teenagers swivelled round to see Umbreon sitting by the open door, apparently having woken up from her nap, shaking her head, as though her trainer and his friend were ten years old again and arguing over something trivial. She looked up at Gary, her expression quite clearly reading, '_Really?_'.

Anger suddenly depleted itself from Ash's entire being, while Gary shifted slightly, his own expression one of uneasiness. For the both of them, being on the recieving end of one of those looks - by your own pokémon, no less - was more than a little embarassing.

Soon enough, Gary cleared his throat. "Anyway," he spoke up, "as long as you quit complaining, you'll be done in an hour."

Ash, though not quite as angered as he had been less than a minute earlier, couldn't stop scowling at his former rival. If Umbreon hadn't intervined, no doubt the trainer would currently be attacking him with everything he had. Though the mental image of doing so was satisfying enough. For now, at least.

Either seeing he wasn't getting a response, or just choosing not to wait for one, Gary stood up straight, walking out of the stables, with Umbreon by his side. But as he turned his head slightly, his emerald eyes caught an annoyed pair of sienna, ones that sent the unspoken message, loud and clear;

'_This isn't over_.'

* * *

_Intuition_

To put things lightly, Umbreon wasn't amused. It was day two of the former rivals' reunion with one another, and they were already at each other's throats. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't been expecting it - hell, she'd have been more concerned if they didn't - but if she wasn't completely aware that nearly seven years had passed since the start of their petty rivalry, she could have easily believed she'd stepped into the past.

With that thought in mind, she looked up at her trainer, who was staring straight ahead as he walked away from both the stables, and his former rival. That is, if 'former' still applied to the raven haired trainer. Honestly, she didn't know anymore. Sometimes, it slipped her mind that the two weren't ten years old anymore, though it wasn't any fault on her part; granted, the two were still teenagers, in that dreaded period of time humans mostly spent angsting about something pointless, but even so, when they were together, both seemed to have a hard time showing their growth in maturity.

Sighing slightly, Umbreon shook her head, catching the attention of her trainer, who quirked an eyebrow.

"You okay, Umbreon?" He inquired, though she was sure he knew exactly what was urking her at this time.

Giving a '_Brey_' of confirmation, even though it wasn't entirely true, Umbreon leapt ahead a few paces, wanting little more than to resume her interrupted mid day nap. There was something about the warm summers in Sinnoh that always made her sleepy, and there was nothing quite like a long nap in the shade of her favourite oak tree to counter that.

However, it seemed like her decision would be postponed yet again, as Gary didn't seem satisfied with her earlier response.

"Look," he sighed, while Umbreon tilted her head slightly to indicate she was listening, "I know you're mad me, but it's not like I hate him. You know that."

Indeed, she did know that, but having heard the excuse 'I just can't help it' over and over for the past six years, she was starting to suspect Gary just liked to create drama. Then again, it didn't seem like such an unlikely choice.

"_'Breon_," she responded, not fully looking at her trainer. She knew all about those so called 'pokémon whisperers' who wandered around, claiming they could converse with their battle partners, and while Umbreon personally believed it to be nothing more than a partcially thought out scam, she couldn't help but occasionally wish Gary possessed such an ability. It would be so much easier to say the words outright; maybe then Gary would take the hint and work things out with Ash.

But alas, Gary had other things on his mind.

"I'll sort things out later, okay?" He offered. "I doubt he'll want to talk to me right about now."

Picking up her trainer's occasional habit, Umbreon rolled her eyes. She could see his point, but what she didn't understand was why Gary even wound the raven haired trainer up in the first place if he was willing to give his form of an apology later on.

She sighed, shaking her head of the thoughts. It was common knowledge to her that humans had their strange way of doing things, but taking into account what she'd heard from Pikachu, Ash wasn't nearly so complex. At least he tried to be nice to his former rival, if only once in a blue moon.

Gary seemed to take the hint that he'd annoyed his pokémon far beyond any consolation he could give at this point, and let out a long breath of air. Not many people knew it, but by Arceus Umbreon could hold a grudge, it was a trait she'd carried ever since she was an Eevee; one particular incident involving Gary accidently stepping on her tail had made him a pariah by her standards for a full month. It was only when he'd bribed her with a case of her favourite dry poffins did she finally start to warm up to him. Though even then she'd been annoyed when he'd prevented her from eating the whole lot in one go.

"_Woopah ~ !_"

Hearing the sound coming somewhere from his left, Gary paused for a full two seconds before it fully registered in his mind. He turned his head in the direction of the young voice, immediately finding the mischievous young Wooper looking up at him, it's dark eyes locked on his with an adorable pleading. It didn't take a genius to figure out exactly what it wanted, considering it was not-so-subtly nudging it's food bowl towards the researcher, who sighed in affection, despite the earlier disagreement with Umbreon.

"Fine, but just the one time, okay?" He said, though they both knew it wasn't going to be as such. "And no telling the others, they'll accuse me of favouritism."

Jumping up and down following Gary's words, the Wooper happily waddled off, leading the way back to the sack of poké treats, which, thankfully, hadn't been emptied out by any of the other pokémon.

* * *

_Intuition_

By the time each pokémon on the preserve was full, tired and content, Gary was carrying the now empty bags that once contained poké treats back into the store room. Unfortunately for him, the little exchange between a certain water fish pokémon and himself didn't go without a hitch, as a group of Budew had caught them out, which started a wave of protest throughout every pokémon within hearing range. So, to calm them down, Gary had little other option than to hand out second portions to each and every one, effectively getting them through an extra day's worth of meals.

Tossing the bags onto the nearest shelf, Gary dragged the back of his hand across his forehead, wiping away the beads of sweat forming on his skin. Even when the water pokémon had been generous enough to drench him with half of their lake, it still wasn't enough to cool him down. At some point he'd removed his shirt to act as a towel, but it didn't last very long. He was just thankful he'd put on sun screen that morning, otherwise his entire torso would no doubt be a solid red.

He supposed that by now he would be used to it, but with the constant, drastic changes in temperature happening all year round, it was rather hard to adjust to it; Sinnoh in the summer was always unearthly hot, while the winter always brought snow worthy of resting on Mt. Silver.

Gary sighed again, deciding to head back inside to change. With all the work he did around the preserve, usually when it was too hot to think straight, it wasn't often that he kept the same outfit on all day. He was starting to miss the days of travelling light and having only one set of clothes that lasted months.

After the store room up, a required step since several of the younger pokémon had, in the past, proved to be untrustworthy of keeping away from the food, Gary took his time in walking back to the lab. With the pokémon now fed and Ash and Tracey taking care of various other chores, the rest of his day was free. It had been a while since he'd had that luxury; as the assistants were usually occupied with research inside the lab, the actual task of taking care of the pokémon generally became Gary's responsibility. Not that he minded, but after a while, he couldn't help but yearn for some time off.

Before long, Gary was back inside, where the sudden coolness of the interior of the lab soothed his bare skin. Going by the fact that the lab itself was empty, and both Ash and Tracey were outside, he could only assume Professor Rowan was in his study. Though what he was studying, Gary didn't know. But whatever the case, it wasn't important.

Once he'd reached his room, Gary tossed his discarded shirt in the laundry basket, frowning slightly as he suddenly noticed just how grimy he was from being outside for so long. If there was one thing Gary disliked, it was a lack of hygiene, despite his apparent disagreements with Professor Rowan on the matter. Though the odds were leaning towards the likeliness of having to go back outside before it cooled down, he decided to screw it and take a shower. It wasn't like he couldn't take one later.

Minutes later, Gary stepped under the cool stream of water, which was bliss even in comparison to the makeshift showers he'd, sometimes unwillingly, received from the more playful water pokémon. As he lathered soap over his body, he rested his forehead against the tiles coating the wall, closing his eyes and letting his thoughts run free. And truthfully, there was a fair amount on his mind today.

For starters, there was the whole living situation, the reasons of which Gary still wasn't entirely sure of. His grandfather had been very vague with the details, not to mention his request for Gary to stay safe. There had been few times in which those words had passed the elder Oak's lips, largely because he knew Gary was capable of taking care of himself, which narrowed things down to one thing.

From the very start, Gary had known something was up, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to know, but it was the trust he had in his grandfather that had prevented him from investigating the matter. It didn't alter the fact that Gary was tempted to ask, but at the same time, the mere thought felt like he would be betraying his guardian.

Gary always felt comfort in the knowledge that his grandfather would always be honest with him, a respect that Gary made sure to return, which assured him to the extent that he was fully accepting, and even content with the lack of information. It was the simple fact that his grandfather was withholding the truth from him rather than telling him a lie.

Then again ..

Gary frowned as he thought back on their conversation, feeling a persistent nudging from somewhere in the back of his mind; that feeling he got when he knew there was more. They say ignorance is bliss, yet despite trusting his grandfather completely, there was something in the researcher's mind that always went against his better judgement. Right now, his intuition was telling him that there was something very wrong, and that whatever was being kept from him wasn't something trivial.

The more his mind lingered on that one thought, the harder it became to pass it off as a simple paranoid feeling, and before he knew it, he was back in his room, now dressed, and sitting on his bed with lips still in a straight line.

He felt like a hypocrite; he trusted his grandfather more than everyone in his life put together, yet he couldn't shake the doubt, nor the growing need to get a straight answer.

Leaning back on his bed, Gary ran a hand through his auburn hair, letting out a long, drawn out breath. He hated feeling so conflicted; the only times he'd felt so insecure about what was going on around him had been few and far apart, and each of those times the negativity had out done any positives. Like when -

_No!_ Gary mentally scolded himself, shaking his head and closing his eyes, willing the thought to leave his mind. He knew where it would lead if he thought about it, which was why he forbade himself from allowing even a hint of a memory from .. that particular incident to make it's way into his head.

At least, that's what he intended, but there were many times when he'd broken his own rule.

With a sigh, he realised the inevitability of his current frame of mind and couldn't find the energy to fight it. The subject of his parents wasn't something that was ever brought up around him, not even by his grandfather. Any of the few people who didn't know of their deaths could easily be led to believe that the two had never existed, which was how Gary liked to keep it.

To say he didn't miss them would be a lie; it was more to do with the small fact that Gary wasn't exactly the type to talk about his feelings. Even so, as he'd learned through personal experience, refusing to think about something didn't cause the memories to fade.

He was seven years old when they died, and during the first few weeks that followed, Gary had no idea what was happening. He knew that _something_ had happened, something bad, but he didn't know what it was. The individual memories of that time had long since blurred together into a mess of colour and sound, and yet, it was exactly how the experience had been for Gary.

The first thing he remembered was being woken up in the middle of the night by his frantic grandfather, who quickly led him and Daisy, eleven at the time, out of the house without letting them change out of their pajamas first. After that, Gary recalled getting into the back seat of Officer Jenny's car and being driven away, his questions falling upon deaf ears. His sister had comforted him, holding onto his hand and whispering soothing words into his ear, but even he could see that her fear rivaled that of his own.

They'd both stayed away from home for a while, with an old friend of their grandfather whom they'd only met a few times. Elm, his name was, and he had a lab of his own, though it was smaller than the one in Pallet Town. He was a kind man, but neither Gary or Daisy had spent much time in his presence. He'd constantly tried to assure them both that everything was fine, yet it was painfully obvious that it was anything but.

Gary didn't like it. Everything about the sudden commotion was scaring him. He wanted his mom, but no matter how many times he cried for her, it was always Daisy who came to console him. He told her he wanted to go home, and asked her what was going on, but she never told him anything, claiming she didn't know.

But Gary wasn't stupid; he could see it in her eyes that she understood exactly what was happening. She just couldn't bring herself to say it. Maybe that was why she left.

When they were finally allowed to return home, their grandfather was the one to break the tragic news to them. Being as young as Gary had been at the time, he was unaware of the whole story until almost a year later, and during the time before that moment came, all he knew was that his mom and dad were gone, and that they couldn't come back.

It wasn't long before Daisy announced that she planned on getting her trainer's licence, a choice that surprised her younger sibling; Daisy had never had much taste for pokémon battling, and had thus decided to skip out on the right of passage to travel a year prior, instead wanting to become a pokémon nurse. For Daisy to change her mind about something was a rare occurance, which was another change for her younger brother to get worked up over.

Naturally, he was devestated, and didn't hesitate to show it. He'd spent several days shouting at his sister for leaving him, breaking her things, and calling her names he shouldn't know, all until he finally broke down into tears, unable to do anything more than simply beg her to stay. And Daisy, despite all the destruction he had caused, and all the horrid names he had called her, held her brother in a tender embrace and cried with him.

Sometime later, he'd managed to calm down enough, she'd gently told him that she wanted to stay, but it hurt too much. Gary had asked to come with her, but she shook her head, explaining that he couldn't leave their grandfather alone; he needed his grandson.

True to her word, Daisy was gone less than a week later, leaving Pallet Town with only her Chansey by her side. She'd promised Gary that she wasn't leaving forever, and that she would come home one day, yet no matter how long he waited, the emerald eyed boy never got his sister back.

Emerging from his thoughts, Gary opened his eyes, vision blurred by the tears that had gathered in them. Once he'd realised that Daisy wouldn't come home, his plan had changed, instead chosing to go looking for her. Just like she'd wanted to become a nurse, Gary had wanted to become a researcher, and pokémon training wasn't really high on his list of things to do. But at that moment, it became the only thing he'd wanted to do, but not for the reason everyone thought it was.

If Daisy wasn't going to come home, then he was going to find her, if only because he needed to know she was still alive.

It never happened. Daisy had always been a master at hide and seek, and if the world was her garden, then she would never be found. And eventually, Gary realised that. He'd claimed he wanted to become a top trainer, but the real reason for it was something he'd kept a secret for many years. All those tournaments he'd participated in wasn't to further his career as a trainer, it was for the hope that Daisy would see his face on tv, and that she would remember her promise to come home.

He felt like an idiot. Daisy had a razor sharp memory; she _never_ forgot anything, and she always kept her promises. Or rather, she used to.

By the time he was participating in the Silver Conference, Gary had begun to realise how pointless his journey was. The one thing he'd gone out to do had ended in failure, and if Daisy hadn't made herself known by now, then chances were she never would. He knew that now.

It was Ash who had helped him out of his forming depression. When Gary had gone out one night to clear his head, he'd ended up having an insightul talk with his then-rival. The memories from that night resided until the present day, as did the confusion. Ash always did have a heart of gold, and even after all the crap Gary had put him through, the researcher was still no exception to that.

It was that very night that Gary had decided to make ammends, to stop living in the past, to give up that pointless hope he'd been chasing after for years; starting with Ash. They'd ended their pointless rivalry that very night, and to Gary, it was like that moment had instantly healed an old wound that had pained him for longer than he could remember.

The following days had passed in a blur of adrenaline. Despite having chosen to pursue his true dreams, Gary hadn't been able to bring himself to drop out of the Silver Conference. There was something that flickered in his mind whenever he considered the option, something that led back to Ash. They'd planned on travelling together during their childhood friendship, and something in the promises they'd made kept him from giving up halfway.

He and Ash had battled, ending in the latter's victory. Gary had almost expected to feel disappointment at his loss, but instead, everything he felt was directed at Ash.

Happiness. Relief. Pride.

Yes, he felt those things, but he'd never been able to tell his former best friend. He supposed he should have, but he never did, and it brought a new emotion with it.

Regret. And not just for the one incident, there were a lot of things regarding the raven haired trainer that Gary regretted more than anything. It was something he'd vowed to change.

With only Blastoise and Umbreon by his side, Gary started his journey anew. A fresh start; the way his journey was supposed to have gone.

"_'Breon?_"

The softly spoken sound broke through the researcher's memories, bringing him back to his current situation. He turned his head to the side, seeing Umbreon standing in the doorway, concern glimmering in her ruby eyes as she studied her trainer, who pushed himself up to sit on the edge of his bed.

"Hey, Umbreon," he greeted, giving her a small smile, all the while unaware of the few tears working their way down his cheeks. Though even if they weren't there, Umbreon could read her trainer's emotions like a book.

Sensing the combination of longing nostalgia and grief, Umbreon approached her trainer, jumping up on the bed quite gracefully and settling down beside him, nuzzling her head against his cheek to wipe away the tears and offer comfort, something that Gary wouldn't allow anyone else to do.

There were two things Umbreon knew about her trainer that not many others were aware of; the first was that he hated needing to be consoled, while the second was that in times like these, nothing mattered anymore.

With a muffled sob, Gary wrapped both arms around the moonlight pokémon, burying his face in her dark fur and listening to her soothing purrs, all the while losing the battle against the tears now freely streaming from his emerald eyes.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I feel like I went in all different directions with Gary; one minute he was fine, content with everything, then he was suddenly all sad .. didn't notice that until went back to read it over. Originally it ended differently, but then I ended up adding the whole thing about Daisy and it went quite nicely.

Anyway, some of you might be wondering why Gary isn't suspicious about a couple of things, namely Delia and Pikachu's absense. Well, the reasons for that ended up not getting a mention in this chapter; I couldn't quite fit it in without feeling like I just shoved it in there. Point is, I'll get into it in the next chapter, which will certainly move the plot along a bit more.

On an added note, don't you just love Wooper's japanese name? Upah ~ It has a beautiful ring to it :D


	9. Chapter Eight

**Author's Note:** Well this is long overdue xD A month and a half? Ugh .. I'm terrible. I had no inspiration for the longest time, but I'm finally done! And it's an extra long chapter to make up for it. So yeah, I hope you enjoy :)

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon isn't mine. But who knows what the future holds ..

* * *

_Intuition_

**Chapter Eight**

An hour. That's what he said. If Ash remembered correctly, then Gary Oak had informed him that _at most_, it would take an hour to clean the stables.

Correction: it had taken over twice that ammount before Ash simply gave up out of annoyance. He tried, he really did, but considering there was only so many times one could trip over a stray bucket _that definitely wasn't there before_, spill the various bottles of cleaning fluids and suffer through making the mess that much worse when the stacked blocks of hay down right refused to stay standing against the wall ..

.. screw it. If Gary claimed to be able to do it in less than an hour, then he could damn well do it himself. Ash, on the other hand, was exhausted. Usually, cleaning was like the plague to him, and he would go out of his way to avoid it. Generally, it worked out quite well, considering how much of a neat freak his mom was; half the time, she didn't even trust him with the vaccum. Not to mention Mimey was always happy to help out with anything Delia asked of him. And that worked out just fine for the trainer.

It wasn't that he was lazy - well, not that much - back home, it was more to do with little things he'd noticed as a child, such as, what was the point of making his bed in the morning if his mom would insist on redoing it ten minutes later? Then on the first few days he'd skipped out on the morning chore, Delia had done it anyway, and hadn't said a word, nor done anything to suggest that she was annoyed Ash hadn't done it himself. And eventually, things like that just stuck.

Sure, Ash was always happy to help out, but when it was Gary Oak who was forcing him into the task of cleaning the whole stable, needless to say Ash wasn't entirely thrilled with that prospect.

Propping the broom up against the wall, Ash let out a heavy sigh. Even out of direct sunlight, the heat of the day had managed to creep inside, the only positive being the reduced risk of sun burn. He'd had more than a few experiences of that particular condition, and he'd long since sworn 'never again'.

With one final glance at the interior, which, Ash thought, seemed to be in worse condition than when Gary had led him in there, he officially decided to call it a day. If his former rival was going to force chores on him, then he could at least be considerate enough to assign him one he could actually do without the added risk of breaking something, and not necessarily on himself, he considered with a brief look at the broom, which he had managed to snap in half at some point. He couldn't quite determine when, though.

Once outside, Ash closed the doors behind him, having opened them up when the air had gotten far too stuffy. Now that it was an hour or so past midday, the sunlight wasn't quite so harsh as it had been during the time he'd spent laying in the shade. He was just thankful the lower temperature was merciful on his heated skin.

As he made his way back to the lab, Ash let his mind wander, mostly about what he should be anticipating for the weeks ahead. Truthfully, if doing chores would distract him from thinking about how messed up this whole thing was; admittedly, the last two hours had been some form of a relief from those ever depressing thoughts, even if a good portion of that time had been spent yelling at inanimate objects out of sheer frustration.

For anyone watching, the events of the past two hours would have been amusing. And by 'anyone', Ash meant someone by the name of 'Gary Oak'.

"Hey, Ash!"

The voice brought the trainer out of his inner frustration, allowing him to notice that he had found his way back to the tree he had been laying under a while ago. Spinning round on his heel, he immediately saw Tracey standing a short distance away, his sketch pad under one arm and a group of hyperactive baby pokémon happily chirping around him, all participating in some form of uncoordinated dance.

Ash would have reponded verbally, but it seemed that simply acknowledging his presence was enough for Tracey to continue, "Do you know where the extra poké balls are? The little ones have to take a nap, but .. " Before he could finish his sentence, he let out a yelp as no less than four young pokémon leapt up into his arms, causing him to stumble back and requiring him to regain his balance without the useage of his arms. The result was one foot being firmly planted on the ground while the other was raised out into the air as Tracey tried to steady himself without stepping on any of the surrounding newborns.

This all happened in the span of a few seconds, meaning it was Scyther, who was standing nearby in a lucky coincidence, was the one to act quick and catch Tracey just as his balance was lost. Thoughout this, Ash only stood and watched, only slightly aware that he didn't rush over to help. Then again, he probably would have ended up making the situation worse; the thought being accompanied by a certain memory of him and Tracey falling into a Vileplume's head and recieving a blast of Stun Spore. The two situations weren't duplicates of each other, but considering there _was_ a Vileplume conveniently standing nearby, it was enough to bring a sense of foreboding.

"Ash?" Tracey's voice drew the trainer out of his thoughts; he blinked a few times, noticing Tracey's eyes locked upon his own, silently requesting confirmation.

It took a moment for the interrupted question to register in Ash's mind, but as soon as it did, the trainer quickly answered, "Yeah - I, uh, I mean no," he mentally cringed, but continued nonetheless, "I can ask Professor Rowan where they are."

Tracey nodded. "Sure, that would be great." He probably would have said more, had he not been knocked over by a barrage of over active newborns, all wanting a hug. This time, Scyther smirked at his trainer's misfortune, not offering his help.

Ash himself gave a half hearted laugh at the scene before going inside. He'd last seen the professor going inside the main area of the lab, and if he was anything like Professor Oak, then there was a good chance he was still there over two hours later. But as he went inside, the lab itself was void of life.

With a sigh, Ash turned and went to check Professor Rowan's study, figuring it would be a likely place for him to be, but also found it to be empty.

"Looking for someone, Ashy?" Came an all too familiar voice from behind him, and he turned to find himself face to face with the very person he did not want to see.

"What's it to you?" The trainer challenged, frowning just for the sake of it.

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Touchy. I was just asking. No harm in that, is there?" He smirked. "But if you don't want my help, that's fine with me. Enjoy searching the lab."

Turning to leave, he was a few steps away before stopping at the sudden exclaimation of, "I don't need your help."

Gary looked over his shoulder at the trainer, raising his eyebrow once again. "I never said you did."

"Yeah well, you implied it."

Chuckling to himself, Gary continued walking away. "Is that so?" He mused, loud enough for Ash to hear. "Well, I guess you'll never know."

Without stopping to allow the trainer to shout back, Gary left the room, leaving Ash to glower silently.

_Intuition_

Maybe it was wrong of him, or maybe he had a right to know. Either way, something about the situation was pure torture. And that was enough for him to decide. Even if he got no answers this way, then at least some part of his curiosity would be sated.

With that, Gary pressed the green button on the video phone, already having selected his gramps' number from the contact list. He wasn't sure why, but that one simple action was enough to make Gary's fists tremble, even when he clenched them both tight. He'd always been curious, that was just how he was, but there was something about this whole thing that made him feel like he was confessing to murder. And in some weird way, he almost wished it were the case.

Yes, throughout his whole life, Gary had always found something to spike his curiosity, from how pokémon produced eggs, to what it was about a Jigglypuff's song that put others to sleep, but never once had he questioned his grandfather's trust. For many years, it had always been the two of them, ever since Gary's parents died and Daisy left Pallet Town, never to be seen again, there had only been two Oaks to speak of, and honestly, Gary almost preferred it that way.

There were two meanings to saying that. Gary wasn't happy that all but one member of his family were gone; there wasn't a moment in the day that he missed them, and wished things could have been different. The reality wasn't like that.

Two reasons were more prominent than anything else, the first being secrets, and the other being lies. When his parents were alive, it seemed like there had been a lot of them lingering around every corner, and Gary hated it. Yet now they were gone, as much as Gary missed them, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. His grandfather had always been aware of what Gary liked and disliked, and one of his ways of making things easier for the both of them was being open with his grandson.

Simply put, neither of them kept anything from each other. Or rather, not quite.

There was still privacy; Gary still had things he would never tell anyone but himself, mostly the real reasons for his pokémon journey, and a certain childhood dispute he was too ashamed to think of, while it was common knowledge to Gary that his grandfather didn't speak of certain things for a reason. But if either one ever asked the other about their day, an honest answer was always given. If something was ever bothering Gary, then the professor was always there to listen and never judge.

And that brought the researcher to his current dilemma. What he was about to do was practically a vow between them when put into words: '_ask and I will be honest_'. So why was he nervous?

That was a question Gary was smart enough to answer without much thought;

In case someting _is_ wrong.

The abrupt end of the dial tone aroused Gary's attention, his emerald eyes immediately trailing up to the screen, the digital image of a Starly being replaced by the screen flickering into a complete image, one that made those emerald eyes widen in shock.

" .. Gramps?" That one, barely audible word was what caused a second pair of eyes, these ones deep blue in colour, to immitate the other's reaction.

There was silence, neither Oak moving beyond breathing, both staring with widened eyes at the image before them.

"Gary." The one word was spoken with an emotion Gary couldn't label, but with a hint of surrendering that almost went unnoticed in his stunned state of mind.

The question was there, ready to be asked, but Gary couldn't manage to form the words. His body was refusing to cooperate, meaning he could only stare at the image before him, taking in every detail. Seeing that the image of his grandfather presented before him, one featuring the elder physically injured, from the bruise below his right eye, to the cut on his lip, made Gary's breath catch in his throat.

It was only when the professor seemed like he was about to speak did his grandson's voice return, working of it's own accord.

"What the hell happened?" Gary half yelped, his voice breaking midway due to the sudden dryness in his throat.

The expression on the professor's face no longer held any hint of surprise, now baring a look no unlike how a tired parent would scold their child. "Gary," he sighed, "I know how this looks, but you need to listen to me - "

"_Listen?!_" Gary couldn't help but interrupt. The way his grandfather was speaking gave off the impression he was about to claim he simply tripped over his own feet and stumbled into the path of some stampeding Tauros. Not even Ash was uncoordinated enough to fall victim to that particular scenario.

The professor, even with years of experience in dealing with his grandson, whatever the latter's mood, wasn't quite sure how to go about this. It didn't help that Gary never usually lost his calm composure, but considering what could, and inevitably would, happen if things got out of hand, there wasn't a wide range of options.

In the meantime, Gary was somewhere between speaking and spluttering, "_Listen?!_ What the hell do you mean, h - have you been attacked?"

The professor could see the flicker of fear pass through his grandson's eyes, and the sight made his heart clench. For most teenagers it was rare for them to show such concern, but Gary was another story. The elder could easily forsee the exact reaction he would get if he were to confirm his grandson's suspicion, meaning the only thing left to was something that went against what he'd unspokenly promised to be with Gary.

He had to lie.

"Gary," he repeated slowly, "there are some things going on right now, and you need to trust me when I say it looks much worse than it really is." He raised his hand when Gary opened his mouth to protest, and continued before he could be interrupted. "I promise you, Gary; I'm perfectly fine."

Yet it wasn't enough to convince the teen in question. Though he could see he would get nowhere by arguing, his emerald eyes met his grandfather's deep blue, he asked, slowly and firmly, "Did something attack you?"

The pause that followed was enough to give Gary his answer.

" .. no." His grandfather eventually responded. And in that very moment, Gary's chest tightened painfully.

He was lying. Gary had asked for an honest answer from his own grandfather, and he recieved a lie.

"Then what happened?" He was giving him a chance to be honest.

But the professor didn't take it. "There are some things going on back here, some rather complicated goings on, but I have everything under control. It's nothing you need to worry about."

Anger rapidly welled up in Gary's chest, and he couldn't stop himself from shouting, "Nothing to worry about? Gramps, have you seen yourself? You're hurt! Tell me what's going on!"

Even through his fury, Gary didn't miss the glimmer of regret flash through his grandfather's eyes. He wished the professor had simply hung up instead of concluding the conversation.

"Everything is under control, Gary, I promise. Just trust me on this."

_Intuition_

There had been more than one occasion in Gary's life when he'd been told 'not to worry'. More often than not, the very thing he was supposed to not worry about ultimately ended in the worst way possible. So to him, whenever he heard such words, nothing else mattered anymore, and the only emotion he'd be capable of feeling was the very one he'd been told not to.

The most notable time such an incident occured was when he'd lost his parents. In the time during his stay in Johto and the weeks following, the extent of any conversation with anyone other than Daisy included the words 'don't worry', usually followed by 'everything will be fine'. Neither of those things had a positive effect.

Gary frowned, his lips unknowingly pulled into a tight line, and the distance between his eyebrows becoming less and less pronounced. The more he thought about it, the more he felt consumed by a painful sense of déja vu. He'd seen it before, that tired, almost desperate look in his grandfather's eyes, in the last moment before the car door closed and he was pulled into a hug by Daisy. Not to mention the words his grandfather had spoken both then and just now;

"Everything is under control, Gary, I promise. Just trust me on this."

And he did. Gary trusted him. But in the end, it didn't make a difference. He'd stayed where he was like a good little boy, but even if he'd left and managed to make it back home on his own, it wouldn't have reversed the fact that his parents were dead.

"_'Breon_," came a familiar voice from somewhere to his left, a strong undertone of annoyance present in the declaration. Having heard that exact same tone several times in his life, Gary didn't need to see a pair of ruby eyes narrowed in barely concealed anger, nor inky fur being shaken free of droplets of water to know that Umbreon was well and truly ticked off. It didn't even take three guesses for Gary to correctly determine exactly what she was grumbling about in her poké language.

With perfect timing, as always, a chorus of shrill, delighted cries sounded from outside, prompting Umbreon to shoot a glare from over her shoulder before stomping away. Had it not been for the silent threat of being target practice for a powerful Skull Bash if he did so, Gary would have laughed out loud at how much Umbreon's mood resembled that of a stroppy child. Even as she slinked upstairs, he was almost surprised when he didn't hear a door slam shut.

Turning his attention to the open door, through which Umbreon had come through, Gary cautiously looked outside. No doubt the young water pokémon were becoming hyperactive once again, meaning if any of them caught sight of him, he'd very quickly find himself in the same situation as Umbreon. _Again_.

It wasn't their fault. In their young minds, they honestly thought they were helping by drenching any living thing with a barrage of simultanious water guns. In the summer, at least. In colder weather, they seemed to just do it for fun. As for Umbreon, it wasn't the first time she'd been rudely awakened by such an attack. While one would think she'd have the common sense to simply find somewhere else to lie down, Umbreon was even more stubborn than Ash, meaning there was absolutely _no way_ she would move even an inch away from her favourite spot. And since even she couldn't be provoked to the point that she would launch even a mild attack of her own at the little ones, aside from bearing with it, the only other option was to seek shelter inside. Though this also put her in a foul mood for the rest of the day.

He couldn't quite bring himself to say he blamed her, but even so, they were just children.

Regardless, they were very hyperactive children, and with certain abilities at their disposal, no matter how harmless they were, meant they required even more caution when dealing with human kids. Unless you were content to be the target of a surprisingly well aimed attack, which Gary was not.

Peering hesitantly outside into the garden, using the open door as a shield, his emerald eyes scanned over anything he could see in his limited line of sight. Aside from the general outside things, namely grass and part of the lake, the first notable thing he saw was, predictably, the very group of hyperactive baby pokémon chasing one another around, throwing water guns, weak fire attacks and mild electrical charges in all directions in their attempts to hit the closest target they could reach.

When a surprised, clearly human yelp emerged through the giggling and hyped cries, Gary needed no more to confirm the context of the scene. Barely two seconds after the sudden noise had Ash stumbling his way across the field, carefully wading through the scurrying pokémon surrounding him, trying hard not to step on any of them, but also leaving himself open to attack, which was exactly what was happening.

Had it been Tracey, then Gary would likely have felt sympathy for the watcher and found a way to distract the little ones (the moment they had each laid eyes upon him was the very time Blastoise had become a favourite target; the turtle was even a good sport about it). But alas, it was not. Tracey was currently entertaining a group via much calmer methods, so Ash was the one whom the pokémon had chosen to terrorise. And it was just too much fun letting the raven haired trainer suffer.

It was that thought which struck something in Gary's mind.

His entire body suddenly freezing him where he stood, the amused smile he wore only seconds earlier quickly dissolved into a frown, while his eyes narrowed in suspicious realisation.

All this, everything that was happening .. he'd seen it before.

As though someone were flicking through a photo album in his mind, images burst into his train of thought, vanishing as abruptly as they'd appeared, but somehow, it was enough to leave an imprint in Gary's mind. And each image, each new memory, matched up perfectly with older, nearly repressed ones.

Once everything had clicked into place, it was almost as though someone had rung a gong, symbolising an effect that wasn't needed, one that sounded in time with the last puzzle piece being pushed into place. And suddenly, everything was clear as day.

Stemming back from their childhood, Gary had swiftly developed a sixth sense regarding Ash; somehow, he always knew what he was feeling, what he was thinking, and exactly what it was that made him tick. And even all these years later, that sense was still fully functioning.

From the moment his former rival had stepped into the lab, Gary had known there was something bothering him, but Ash being Ash, he'd simply thought the younger was effected by the news about Cinnabar. After all, the raven haired teen always was far too compassionate for anyone else his age.

But he could _see_ it, mostly in his eyes; even after being on the recieving end of the researcher's teasing, that flicker of grief, no matter how muted, was always present in those sienna eyes.

"Hey, Ash!" He called out before he could stop himself. The trainer turned to face him, one corner of his lips pulled into a slight frown. "The infants are supposed to be napping right about now."

As expected, Ash didn't look amused. "That's what we're trying to get them to do!" He shouted back over the increasing volumes of hyperactive pokémon. "It's not our fault they won't calm down!"

Out of habit, Gary rolled his eyes. "You're meant to put them back in their poké balls," he responded, then continuing before Ash could reply, "which are near the storage room. I'll help you bring them out."

Though Ash looked as though he was about to insist he didn't need Gary's help, he was cut off by Tracey pleading, "Please do it, Ash," as he struggled to hold onto about five pokémon at once, "I don't know how much more I can handle!"

And as he narrowly dodged a spark of electricity from an overly excited Pichu, it was safe to say that Ash saw reason in their predicament, as he hurried back inside, eager to sort things out once and for all. He moved quickly past Gary despite not knowing exactly where the storeroom was, and being unwilling to ask. Typical.

Instead of offering verbal directions, Gary led the way into the basement, which allowed more extensive space to store all the poké balls. Several shelves in particular were lined with poké balls, each one marked with a sticker ranging from a toy rattle to a cuddly Teddiursa doll.

As he picked one up, Ash couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the choice of decoration. Seeing this, Gary offered an explanation;

"Makes it easier to sort them out."

Ash gave a slow nod. "Oh .. right," he said, unsure of how to respond.

Moving on, Gary began transferring the poké balls from the shelves to a nearby box. Being so many of them, carrying them all by hand would require several trips; the boxes were just so much more convenient.

"So, Ash," he spoke casually, careful to keep his tone from giving anything away, "exactly how long are you planning on staying here in my humble abode?"

Ash shrugged, tossing several poké balls in the box carelessly. "No idea," he admitted, half paying attention to the conversation. "Professor Oak just said me and Tracey would be here for a while."

Eyeing his rival, Gary frowned. "That's it? He just 'a while', nothing else?"

Questioning sienna eyes met emerald green. "Why do you care?"

"Just curious," Gary brushed off.

But Ash remained suspicious. "About .. ?"

With an inward sigh, Gary picked up the box, heading out the door. "When I'll finally be able to get rid of you." He closed the door behind him before Ash could respond.

_Intuition_

Gary was naturally curious, and tended to question most things. Usually it was because he liked to know what was going on, how things worked, while other times he was simply curious. Or suspicious.

There was definitely something going on. Gary could feel it in the air. The more he thought about it, the less things seemed to make sense. Ash and Tracey moving in for the foreseeable future unannounced was a strange enough move on it's own. That Ash had shared little knowledge on the subject spiked Gary's suspicion further. Not to mention the avoidance of the topic should it ever arise. But it was seeing his grandfather over the phone, obviously hurt, that took the gold medal. If Gary hadn't been suspicious before, then he definitely was now.

And worried. If his bunch was correct and something was going on, then it was serious. Possibly even dangerous. The way the previous time such an occurance had arisen, it didn't bring good results, meaning his grandfather was hiding something, and this time it was tied to Ash.

The raven haired trainer was bothered by something, anyone could see it, yet Gary wondered if he knew more than he was letting on. There were a few times he'd noticed Ash conversing with Tracey in hushed whispers, but whenever someone approached, they'd swiftly change the subject, which indicated that Tracey was in on it too. Only he was apparently a better actor than Ash, whom Gary knew better than the back of his hand.

All the clues, both big and small, were gradually coming to together, like he was completeing a jigsaw without looking at the box. They also combined to form the reason why Gary was currently hiding in the bushes outside an open window to Professor Rowan's study, eavesdropping on the conversation between the two professors.

"How much do you think he suspects?" Professor Oak, as Gary could easily tell, asked through the video phone.

The other professor gave a small sigh. "I'm not sure. So far, I wouldn't say Gary is obsessing over any of it, but he's always been rather complex; difficult to read."

"That's what I worry about. With all that happened then, and what's going on now .. I don't know if he'll be able to handle it, not again."

Professor Rowan made a slight grunt, one that contained disagreement. "I understand that you want to protect him, Samuel, but I agree with Blaine; Gary deserves to know. He's going to learn someday, and I think he should hear it now, from you. While you still have the chance."

Another sigh. "Please don't do this," he sounded weary, as though their topic wasn't an uncommon one of discussion, "not now, I .. can't think about that."

"You can't keep stalling, Samuel. I know you want to protect him, I do as well, but ignorance is only going to get him killed. That monstrosity is out to get him, and you can be sure it's going to exploit Gary's weakness. That is, if it doesn't kill him first chance it gets."

"I know that," the other hastily cut in. "I've tried, I .. I've _wanted_ to tell him for so long, but .. "

A full minute passed by slowly before, " .. but?"

" .. I .. I can't .. " Professor Oak's voice was thick, betraying the knowledge of tears falling from his eyes. "What if he hates me for it? Don't you understand, if I hadn't been so .. so _idiotic_, then many things would be very different .. " Another pause, in which it sounded as though the professor was trying to regain his composure. "There .. there's been too much loss, already. Daisy, all those civilians in Saffron City .. and Ash .. what will he think of all this?"

"Samuel, you can't continue to dwell on all this, no good will come of it all. Ash is reasonable; yes, I won't deny that he will likely be upset, angry, even, but he's not judgemental. I'd say what would affect him the most is that you kept the knowledge from him for so long."

"Ash was very nearly an orphan because of what I did. And that chance still stands today. I didn't suspect anything could become so terrible, and we're running out of possibilities right now - "

"Enough!" The other snapped sternly, in a tone vastly different from his usual way of speaking. "Fretting about it isn't helping anybody. Are you even aware of it's whereabouts?"

A pause.

"I thought not. The first thing you should focus on is finding out where it is. Without that knowledge, we're even more lost than we are now."

" .. right .. yes, that would be best."

Professor Rowan sighed. "Gary will be safe, Samuel. I promise you that."

"Right .. right .. "

The two professors concluded the conversation, eventually ending it. But even as Professor Rowan had left the room, and there was nothing more to be heard, Gary remained where he was. Emerald eyes were wide, their expression hard, yet remained unseeing.

_Intuition_

If his guess was accurate, then it was midnight. Years of sleeping beneath the stars had unknowingly granted Ash a rather uncanny ability to sense the time of night. Perhaps those stars had managed to form themselves into a kind of natural clock, shining down upon him with the exact hour hidden, yet easily noticed through the thicket of black high above him.

Whether or not the assumption was correct, Ash liked ot believe it was, purely for the simple knowledge. His sienna eyes were absent mindedly directed out the window, mesmorised by the sparkling dots scattered over the sky which seemed eternally dark, shrouding everything in sight beneath a black cloak, swallowing up any and all light it fell upon.

There were times in the past where Ash felt safe when concealed in darkness; despite what stereotype he fell in, darkness was always something he enjoyed, and never once did he cry when he found himself alone in unending black. Of the two, Gary was the one who felt unease when his surroundings were hidden. He refused to let it show, but Ash could sense it whenever they were in such a situation. He could feel the tension rising as the light diminished, radiating off his best friend, who usually clenched his fists, his breathing becoming heavier by the minute. Whenever times like those came to pass, Ash was the one who was always there to hold his trembling hand, the one small gesture being enough to bring some form of peace to the spiky haired boy, who kept a hold on the tiny hand as though it were a lifeline, keeping him from falling into the bottomless pit beneath him.

Ash had never understood why Gary disliked the dark so much, but knew it was not his place to ask; if Gary wished to speak about something, then he would. He never did, so Ash never asked. But right now, Ash was beginning to understand his former rival's childhood phobia.

The stars brought him comfort, a promise of stability, but the shadows that surrounded him encrusted his heart in ice. If something were hiding silently in the room with him, then there was no way for him to know without exposing himself to a potential threat.

His lungs felt heavy in his chest, his breath becoming a conscious effort to maintain. His eyes were beginning to water, moisture leaking from the sienna orbs and trailing onto his pillow as he refused to hand over a micro second to close them, for fear of losing his one, meagre thread of security.

He felt like he was suffocating, his natural sources of life being smothered in pitch black. The memory of just a few nights ago played behind his closed lids whenever he allowed them to fall. Not once in his life had he ever wished for the night to pass, or for a flashlight to slash violently through his non existent mask. To have bright lights in night was a crime to him, not one that he ever had the desire to commit. The thrill of the unknown fueled him with adrenaline, like anything was possible, but now he was overwhelmed, drowning beneath fear.

The room was warm, yet he shivered, unconsciously pulling his legs up closer to his chest, as though he could hide away if tucked up small enough, or that lying straight would leave him vulnerable. He was scared, an uncontrollable emotion that came rarely to him was eating away at him from the inside out, caused by something he'd always embraced.

In the daylight, Ash felt protected. Ever since stepping into his house those days ago, that _thing_ had been in there waiting for him. Watching him the whole him he'd maneuvered his was through the wreckage, following the trail of blood to the injured occupants buried beneath the rubble.

He gripped his pillow tightly, barely aware of the faint sound of threads ripping beneath his hold. That beast could have attacked him at any moment, yet it waited for the moment that he would find his near death mother. His mother, who could have been lying there for hours, slowly dying and fearing her son would meet the same fate.

Had she been thrown across the room as well? What happened to cause such mindless destruction?

But as the mental image crept to the forefront of his mind, Ash found that he no longer wanted to know the details. He just wanted to be grateful she was alive. At the same time he wondered if things would have been different if he's stayed at the lab for a while longer, had he turned down Tracey's offer and stayed to help. The watcher had told him that Professor Oak had rushed back the moment he heard Ash had left, but if he'd stayed, at least for the duration of the call, what would have happened then? What would that extra portion of time meant?

Squeezing his eyes shut for a full few seconds, blinking furiously to clear his vision, not bothering to tend to the falling tears currently soaking his pillow. He didn't want to think about it. Not now, not ever. They were each alive, and he was grateful for it.

That was all that mattered.

The brief self assurance would have been sufficient to ease his worries to the point of falling asleep, had a sudden, sharp noise cut through the silence.

Ash froze, every muscle in his body held tense of their own accord. His eyes, having been ready to close just a few seconds before, were now wide and unblinking, yet unseeing.

Silence.

Ash briefly considered the possibility that his imagination was taunting him, but his ears strained nonetheless. He _knew_ he'd heard something.

But there was nothing. A part of him was urging him to take a look out in the hallway to check, while the other, perhaps more rational half, was pleading with him to remain where he was.

As the conflicting choices battled out within his mind, it was all cut short as the sound played again.

It was definitely not part of his imagination. There was something out in the hallway, not too far from his door, which was ajar. The realisation didn't bring any comfort.

Everything was silent once again, but Ash could identify what it was. Something scuffed against the wood flooring, creaking ever so slightly, but mostly scraping. Like someone - or some_thing_ - was creeping across the hallway.

His heart pounding almost painfully in his chest, Ash gingerly turned to face the parted door, the air looking, if possible, even darker past the door frame.

Once more, the air was still, silent, yet Ash could _feel_ another's presence just past the open door. Someone was there. Forcing his breathing to steady, inhaling deep, quiet breaths, Ash slipped out of bed, his bare feet landing softly and silently on the floor. He stood up and moved across the room in slow, steady movements, the carpet snuffing any sound.

He was shaking, a cold sweat dripping down his back as his heart thundered with such ferocity he felt like it would grind straight through his ribs and burst out his chest. Yet his body was working on auto pilot, forcing each hesitant step forward while he was too light headed to make any attempt to hold back.

His hand reached out of it's own accord, his fingertips brushing against the door, trailing lightly down to the door handle. He felt onto it, instantly thankful it didn't amplify the sound of his shaking fists, and edged toward the slim opening.

Had he been able to string two thoughts together, he would have questioned why he was doing this, but his fear halted any rational suggestion. His mind would have been screaming at him to stop while he was ahead, while his body was acting without confirmation.

With more caution that he thought he were capable of containing, his other hand trailed across the wall, desperately trying to find the square of plastic fused into the plaster. His ears detected another sound, one so much closer than before.

The steady intake of breath, and the slow exhale that proceeded. Whoever it was, they were no doubt less than two feet away from where he was standing. Just one wrong move and they'd know he was there.

Every sound, from the one a short distance away from him, to the pounding of his heart, mangified by a tenfold, filled the silence with a racket audible to his ears only. His entire body felt light as his hand touched the tip of cold, smooth plastic, adrenaline coursing through him. As his index finger brushed against the switch itself, time seemed to slow down.

Gone was every thought, every last atom from the oxygen in his lungs. Though his entire hand felt disconnected from the rest of his body, numb from pure suspence and looming dread, he pushed down on the switch, his mind too blurred to brace himself for anything that followed.

In an instant, his room burst into light, eliminating every shadow, and trailing out into the hall, devouring any darkness it touched.

Something before him emitted a low growl, one of warning, not anger, yet just as threatening. It struck Ash like a physical blow, making him stumble backwards several steps, his legs giving way beneath him and making him fall, everything in his vision disoriented from the harsh contrast he'd thrown himself into.

Sienna eyes blinked rapidly, desperately trying to push everything together into a recognisable image, but everything coming in a splash of colour that burned his eyes, moisture streaming down his cheeks as his tear ducts struggled to keep his eyes from drying out. Somewhere in his hazy vision, he saw a mass of black stalk forward, his heart stuttering at the sight as red eyes glared at him, daring him to make a move ..

Yet it was a sound that cut through anything that existed to him.

"A - Ash .. ?!"

He knew that voice. He knew those .. eyes .. ?

Hastily wiping his face clear of excessive tears, Ash continued to blink, everything finally beginning to shift into their correct location.

"_'Breon?_"

Ruby eyes, ones previously having glared at him, now mimicked Ash's own, glazed over and blinking, struggling to adjust to the unannounced brightness.

"Ash?" The voice sounded again, and as Ash looked up, he could have screamed in relief.

"Gary?" He gasped, his throat dry and his voice rough as a result. His former rival, looking equally as disoriented as Ash felt, was standing in the doorway, rubbing one eye as his other focused on the trainer before him. "Gary, what .. what the hell are you doing?"

Grasping onto the door frame to steady himself, Gary stared at him. "Me?" He exclaimed in disbelief. "You're the one trying to burn out my eyes without giving any warning!" Then under his breath, he grumbled, "Thanks for that, by the way .. "

Ash frowned. "You're the one sneaking around late at night!" He argued. "I thought you were that th - " He caught himself mid-exclaimation, before blurting out, "A burglar! Yeah, I, uh .. how was I supposed to know it was you?"

Gary, his eyes creased in a slight squint in the brightness, stared down at Ash, almost judgingly. The intensity of his stare made an uneasy feeling to manifest in Ash's stomach.

It was a long few seconds before Gary sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This is getting us nowhere. Look, you go back to sleep, okay? And whatever happens, don't - "

A sudden cough from down the hall cut him off. Gary twirled round so fast, Ash barely saw it happen. Umbreon's ear's twitched, before she nudged her head against her trainer's leg, careful to make no sound.

"Shit," Gary hissed, suddenly animated as he flicked the light switch off, cloaking the entire room in darkness. Umbreon swiftly maneuvered aside as Gary reached out to grab hold of Ash, illuminating the room dimly with a weak glow as this happened.

As Ash was hoisted to his feet, he called out, "Gary, what - "

"_Shut up!_" The researcher interrupted, shoving Ash back onto the bed and quickly circling round to duck down on the opposite side, hidden from view should anyone look through the open door way.

Ash propped himself up on his elbows, staring down in bewilderment at Gary, even as Umbreon ceased lighting the room. "What are you going?" He demanded, though kept his voice low.

"Just pretend to be asleep!" Came the hushed, hurried response.

Despite the questions urging to be asked, the sound of heavy footsteps from down the hall caught his attention, and a hand on his chest pushing him down forcefully to lie on the bed, Ash could do little more than close his eyes and stay still. No sooner had the weight on his chest retracted did a light turn on in the hallway, shining on Ash's face through the door way, making him see red behind his closed eye lids.

For a full minute, the sound of footsteps halted, in which time Ash managed to make himself breathe steadily, despite his relatively uncomfortable position. He wasn't used to sleeping on his back.

Eventually, his ears detected something, or someone shuffling around in the hallway, though what they were doing, Ash couldn't tell. Still, he remained where he was, breathing slowly and deeply, until the source of light went out, and the footsteps trailed back from where they had come from, eventually fading out.

Immediately, Ash dared to open his eyes, finding himself staring only into darkness. He didn't move, but heard the faint sound of Gary's breathing from his right. Neither moved for what Ash guessed to be several minutes, until the dim light returned, and Umbreon crept out from her hiding spot underneath the bed.

As though he had been holding it in, Gary exhaled deeply, leaning forward to rest his head upon the mattress. "Shit," he murmured. "That was way too close."

Ash stared at him, blinking several times before asking, "Huh?"

Through thick tresses of dark auburn hair, Gary stared up at him. "Professor Rowan was checking up on us both," he replied simply. The sounds from before suddenly made sense.

"Oh," was all Ash said in response. He then asked, "But, why didn't he notice you were gone?"

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think I thought of that?" He asked, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Remember when we used to sneak out at night to watch the Vileplume scatter pollen; we'd stuff our beds with clothes and toys to make it look like we were still asleep?"

Nostalgia lit up Ash's eyes at the memory. "Oh, yeah," he replied, smiling slightly. But as Gary's words clicked in his mind, his lips then pulled into a frown. "Wait .. does that mean you're sneaking out?"

For a moment, panic seemed to shoot through emerald eyes, as though Gary had realised he'd made a slip up. He inhaled sharply, but just as Ash was expecting him to deny it, he sighed and sat up. "Yeah," he replied, seeing there was little point in lying about the obvious.

"Why?" Ash asked, his eyebrows pulling together in suspicion. "You're not under house arrest, are you?"

Gary scoffed, getting to his feet. "I may as well be," he grumbled. "But I have my reasons." With that, he strode over to the door, Umbreon close beside him, stopping to turn around and address Ash. "And by the way, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this, for your sake as well as mine. You'll only get in more trouble than it's worth."

But as he turned back to face the door, he paused when he heard Ash ask, "Where are you going?"

Immediately, he felt his entire body tense, cursing the trainer for asking that very question. "What's it to you?" He snapped back.

Ash's frown deepened. "You're supposed to stay here, but you're leaving," he said. "I want to know why. Tell me."

For a moment, Gary felt like clawing at his own face in frustration. "It doesn't concern you," he replied through gritted teeth. "Just go back to sleep and forget I was ever here, okay?"

"No."

That one word jabbed Gary with such annoyance, it almost felt physical. He turned around to face, Ash, who was now out of bed, that stubborn frown still ironed onto his face.

"Ash," Gary spoke slowly, his tone controlled, "go back to bed."

"Tell me."

"It's none of your business, Ash!"

"If you don't tell me, I'll scream!"

"You - wh - !" Emerald eyes widened at the threat, Gary's words catching in his throat and refusing to move. He stared at the stubborn teen before him, whose arms were crossed, sienna eyes blazing with determination and annoyance.

The sudden shock gradually wore off, and Gary narrowed his own eyes. "You wouldn't," he said firmly, though his heart was pounding nervously. "You're not a tell-tale, Ash."

The trainer huffed slightly, but remained as he was. "No, I'm not," he admitted. "But if you don't tell me, then I will."

Gary grit his teeth, unable to see a way out of this. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Because," Ash looked a little uneasy as he spoke, shifting his feet, but retaining eye contact, "whatever's going on, I want to know the truth, and you do to."

Gary clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles going white with the lack of circulation. His emerald eyes closed, and he sighed heavily. "Fine. Since arguing with you isn't going to move things along, I'll tell you." How he loathed admitting defeat, but there were much more important matters to worry about. "I'm going home, to Pallet."

Sienna eyes widened a fraction, but Ash quickly composed himself. "Why?" He asked, his tone softer.

Gary didn't hesitate to respond. "Because Gramps is hiding something, and when I spoke to him earlier, he was hurt. I'm sure something attacked him deliberately, and he avoided talking about it when I asked." He opened his eyes, meeting Ash's. "Something weird is going on, I can tell, and if Gramps is involved somehow, then I'm not going to just leave him to deal with this on his own."

Ash stared deep into sincere emerald orbs, blinking a few times as the information sank in. " .. oh," was his eventual response. "So .. you're going back to Pallet right now?"

"That's the plan," the researcher confirmed, pulling up his sleeve to check his watch, frowning when he saw the time. "And I should have been gone at least ten minutes ago." He yanked it back down, then ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. "Look, Ash, I have to go. Just, please, don't tell anyone you saw me. I don't want you to get in trouble, and I need to get as far away from Sinnoh as I can before Professor Rowan wakes up."

Emerald eyes looked pleadingly into sienna, and Ash only nodded mutely.

Gary sighed in relief. "Thanks, but I really have to go now, okay?"

Another nod. " .. okay."

Unwilling to waste one more second, Gary immediately turned, slipping out of the room stealthily, his dark clothes allowing him to blend into the darkness flawlessly. Umbreon followed closely, her inky fur providing perfect cover in the shadows as she ceased to glow.

As the researcher and pokémon left, Ash remained where he was, standing silently in his pyjamas, several seconds passing before he slowly sat down on the bed, his hands clenched in his lap. Straining his ears, he could just about hear Gary descend down the stairway, his shoes making nearly no sound as he walked, and Umbreon completely invisble both visually and audibly.

Ash stared ahead at the open door, the outline faintly visible as his eyes adjusted in the dark. Inside, he was trembling, the movement barely seen, but easily felt. It was like he was shivering from cold, yet it was warm and comfortable in his borrowed room.

He felt scared, but it had nothing to do with his previous anxiety involving the suffocating shadows that surrounded him. That one fact barely registered in his mind, his consciousness instead occupied by a thought of greater importance. This feeling was familiar, one he would get when someone left, and a voice in the back of his head was urging him to go after them, either to give them one last hug, or refuse to let their paths lead seperate ways. That feeling of conflict bubbling beneath his skin, prominent enough to cause him unease, yet lacking the strength to force him to go through with the action.

At least, that would be the case. He jolted upon hearing the scratch of Umbreon's claws against the wood flooring of the downstairs hallway, the sound magnified in the otherwise silence of the night. That one, single sound was all it took to trigger the action. Without a second thought crossing his mind, Ash was on his feet and out the room, clumsily directing himself through the pitch black interior, his hands reaching out in front of him until he grasped hold of the wooden railing. He trailed his hands down it as he ran, skipping several steps at once as he did so, miraculously avoiding tripping on his own feet as he did so, making it to the ground floor in one piece.

"_Gary!_" He whispered sharply, praying the researcher was still in the room, his heart beating in anticipation.

A few seconds passed in silence, enough for Ash to falter, believeing Gary had already left, but at the sight of glowing rings a short distance in front of him, he felt his chest swell in relief.

"Ash?" Came Gary's voice, annoyance filling his tone. "What the hell are you up to now?"

The trainer didn't hesitate to reply with, "I wanna come with you!"

There was a sudden pause, almost as though time had stopped, effecting everything but Ash, who remained oblivious to it all. But the illusion was shattered when Gary stepped into the small source of light, materialising from behind Umbreon in an almost eerie way.

"What?" He replied flatly, annoyance gone from his voice, along with any other emotion.

"I'm coming with you," Ash answered. "I know something is going on, and I want to go back as well."

Gary stared at him for a long moment, his emerald eyes sharp and bright, unconcealed by shadows, almost as though they were glowing. It was both eerie and beautiful. "Ash," he started, his posture unchanging, "this isn't one of those spontanous choices you can just make. This is serious, and I'm not having you tagging along like dead weight."

In any other situation, Ash would have come back with some kind of lame insult, but instead he replied civilly, "You said Professor Oak was hurt, right?" He waited until he recieved a short nod from Gary. "I .. think I know what hurt him."

As those words left his lips, the entire scene changed. Gary, previously annoyed and weary, was now staring at Ash in disbelief, his entire attention span focused on the raven haired trainer.

" .. what do you mean?" He asked tentatively, almost suspiciously. Though he had a good reason to be.

"I mean," Ash hurried to explain, "before me and Tracey came here, something happened, and we .. well, I was attacked by something."

He could almost see Gary stiffen at those words. It didn't take long for his gaze to trail down to Ash's injured arm, the cast fully visible without long sleeves. Ash didn't need to explain any further for Gary to ask;

"Your mom?"

The image arose in Ash's mind, of his mother's beaten, bloodied form, and he answered quickly to distract himself. "She .. got hurt."

It was an understatement, but Gary didn't push it. " .. Pikachu?" He asked, though already sensing the answer.

"Yeah .. him too."

In the period of near silence that followed, only light breathing could be heard.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Gary asked, any emotion in his tone impossible to determine, his eyes never once wavering from Ash's cast.

The trainer swallowed heavily, praying Gary wouldn't be upset or angry with the answer. "Professor Oak didn't want you to worry."

Instead of anger, or even annoyance, Gary scoffed, somewhat exasperated. "Figures," he said, clearly hesitating before he managed to ask, " .. what about you?"

Looking down at his cast arm, Ash lifted it slightly for emphasis. "This .. isn't the extent," he admitted.

Gary hummed slightly, a sound he often made when deep in thought. "What did Gramps tell you?" He asked.

"Actually .. he didn't really say anything." At the questioning look he recieved, Ash elaborated, "It was actually him who asked me stuff. What I remembered about the attack, and everything. He said Professor Rowan would explain things, but he hasn't."

Gary sighed heavily at the information. "I guess they're deliberately keeping us in the dark, then," he mused. "For one reason or another."

"Apparently we're more involved than we know," Ash supplied, recalling Professor Rowan's cryptic words. "I don't know how we're involved in it, but .. " He trailed off, unsure of how to finish the sentence.

"So I guess there's only one thing to do," Gary replied, his emerald eyes swivelling up to meet Ash's. "Get dressed; we're going to find out exactly what's going on."

_Intuition_

Roughly fifteen minutes later, the two former rivals were outside of the lab, having snuck out through the bedroom window after Gary had trouble disabling the alarm on the main doors. Apparently the codes had been changed, and instead of wasting time in figuring it out, they'd changed plans and decided on a more convenient way out.

"_'Breee_," Umbreon hummed low in her throat, her eyes glowing white as she lowered Gary down three stories to the ground. The jump would have brought with it a high chance of them breaking their legs, and neither was willing to take the chance.

As the soles of Gary's shoes touched the ground, the transparent, lilac film surrounding him vanished, and he landed softly and silently on the ground. "Okay," he said, looking back up at the open window, "now it's your turn, Ash."

The trainer nodded. "Uh, okay," he responded, admittedly a little nervous. It wasn't that he was afraid of heights, and he wasn't doubting his trust in either Gary or Umbreon, but when being telekinetically lowered three stories in the dark with nothing stable to hold on to, one couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

Pushing through his initial nervousness, Ash climbed onto the window sill, sitting on the edge with his legs dangling against the brick wall. The night air was cool and fresh in comparison to the warmth of the bedroom behind him, and he was thankful Gary had insisted he wore a jacket; he would have been shivering otherwise.

With a nod of confirmation to Umbreon, Ash felt himself being lifted, the lightest pressure on his skin, and a shimmering lilac light clinging to the surface of his skin. The sensation reminded him of a time long before that, during the time he'd met Celebi. There was a noticable difference between the two moments in time, but in the same way, he was thankful for it.

The light disappeared the moment Ash's feet touched the ground, and Gary immediately recalled Umbreon to her poké ball before clipping it to his best, alongside five others.

"Let's go, then," the researcher said, turning on his heel and following the path that led down the side of the building. Ash followed, keeping a short space between the two of them, so as not to find himself seperated from his rival should he look away. It really was that dark.

"How're we getting back?" Ash inquired. His first guess would be to use their pokémon to fly back, but he wasn't sure if it were too obvious a choice, or if Gary had prepared something else. As it turned out, his guess was correct.

"The only thing we can do is use our pokémon," Gary replied. "The next ferry isn't until next week, and I'm not waiting until then. Besides, it'll be too easy for us to be found out. This is the fastest and most convenient way for us to travel."

Ash nodded, though more for his own benefit since Gary wasn't even looking in his direction. "Okay. So are we using your's?" He'd brought his own, just as Professor Oak had told him, though aside from Staraptor, he didn't have any on hand which would be of much use in air travel.

Thankfully, it didn't seem to be a problem. "Yeah, I've got Fearow and Skarmory with me. I'll have to switch them out a few times; I doubt they'd be able to make the whole journey at once on their own, even without carrying the both of us. But if they split the journey, then maybe we can make it back to Kanto by tomorrow afternoon."

Having moved at a relatively fast pace, the two were now approaching the town center, and the rest of the walk to the beach took no more than ten minutes. As they neared the water's edge, Gary selected a poké ball from his belt, tossing it to reveal a Skarmory, who materialised in a burst of bright light. It remained silent, which Ash took to mean it knew of the plan, and who knew if anyone else was out this time of night. Or possibly morning.

"He's coming, too," Gary addressed the armour bird, indicating to Ash. "Is that okay with you?"

Though Skarmory nodded, Ash briefly wondered what it would have meant had the steel bird said 'no'.

"Alright, then," Gary said, as Skarmory spread out it's wings, allowing his trainer to climb on it's back. He held out his hand to Ash, offering him assistance in getting up.

With no reason to decline, Ash grasped Gary's hand in his own, the researcher hoisting him up easily. He settled himself behind his former rival, which wasn't particularly easy when all he had to sit on was smooth steel that curved outwards. Ash automatically held on to the back of Gary's jacket, a little worried that he would slip straight off and onto the sand.

Gary didn't comment, and soon enough, Skarmory took off, swiftly cutting through the air, it's speed rising with each passing second. Before long, they were high in the air, the ocean directly beneath them, and Sandgem Town rapidly shrinking out of view behind them.

It was then that Ash released the breath of air he wasn't aware he was holding. "So," he said, purely to break the silence, "it's gonna be a long flight, huh?"

Gary hummed slightly in confirmation. "Are you tired?" He asked, changing the subject.

Truthfully, with the untimed events of that night, coupled with the reality of flying through the air, an undoubtably lethal drop underneath him, and the chilly air forcing him to stay awake, he really wasn't feeling all that drowsy. He shrugged, "Not really. Are you?"

"I'm fine. But if you fall asleep, try not to fall off, because I'm not catching you if you do."

Ash frowned. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Be sure that you do," was his response.

Silence settled in once more, Ash finding nothing more to say, and Gary making no attempt of his own to start a conversation. As time passed, Ash let out a puff of air, resting his head against Gary's back, trying to get comfortable.

"Hey, Ash?" Gary eventually spoke, his tone unchanged from a few minutes ago.

Ash looked up, only able to see the side of the researcher's face. "Yeah?"

For a while, Gary seemed uncomfortable, and even hesitant, a move completely out of character for him. " .. you said that something attacked you before you came to Sinnoh," he said slowly, "do you .. know what it was?"

Despite his usual flare for missing the obvious, the implication of Gary's words hit Ash like a rock blast. He may as we have just come out and admitted his reasons why, but Ash knew his pride stood in the way. Professor Oak was hurt, perhaps badly so, and if a dangerous beast was out in the wild, targeting the only remaining family member Gary had left, then there was no doubt in Ash's mind that the knowledge was torturing him.

With a thought back to the night Gary was inquiring about, Ash couldn't help but shiver. After what had happened, he could identify with what Gary was going through. He could only hope the two casulties weren't identical.

Clearing his throat quietly, Ash, with a level of regret, answered with, "No. It .. it was too dark. I didn't see it, but it was really big, and black, I think .. "

Ash could feel Gary becoming tense with each word he spoke. His breathing became heavier, but controlled. "Right," was his response.

Ash bit his lip, wishing he could somehow lighten the situation, but there wasn't anything that came to mind. He thought back to that night, the memories dark and blurred together, tarnished further by the pain and fear he had experienced. The incident transferred from black of night, to the sterile white of the hospital room he had woken up in.

Then a thought hit him. Professor Oak's words echoed in his mind, and one phrase in particular seemed to ring a metaphorical bell in his head.

"He said it wasn't a pokémon." Ash was only partcially aware that he'd spoken. "Professor Oak, he .. it looked like he knew what was going on, and when I asked him what that thing was, he said it wasn't a pokémon."

A short pause followed, before Gary asked, "Were those his exact words?"

Ash frowned slightly, straining his mind as he thought back, forcing himself to remember everything he could through his formerly post anesthesia state of mind. "No .. not exactly," he admitted. "He said that .. that he didn't think it was a pokémon. Not anymore, at least."

When Gary spoke, Ash could easily tell from his tone of voice that the researcher was frowning. "Not anymore?" He repeated. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

At loss of an answer himself, Ash could only shrug. "I don't know," was his quiet response.

He recieved no reply. Gary seemed completely lost in thought after recieving the information; Ash could see the frown settling deeply on his face, his lips pulled into a tight line, and his emerald eyes narrowed. He didn't return to his original position, having turned his head to the left as he conversed with Ash. The only visible movement he made was unvoluntary; tresses of his auburn hair danced about in the breeze, occasionally flicking in his face, yet he was far too lost in his own mind to notice, or even flinch. It was almost as though he had frozen solid.

His reviere was broken as he took a deep breath, his shoulders rising and then falling as he released it. "I guess there's one way we can find out," he pondered, his voice quiet.

Ash tilted his head. "How?"

Emerald eyes flickered over to meet sienna. "Did you bring your pokédex?" The researcher inquired.

Frowning a little, Ash went to ask, "Yeah, but - " Then it hit him, his eyes widening as realisation settled in. " .. so, if it is, or was, a pokémon, it will show up on the pokédex?"

"Maybe," Gary replied. "If it _is_ a pokémon, then it all depends on whether or not the pokédex can identify it, and that's only if it's data is programmed into it."

"Oh," Ash responded, looking a little crestfallen. "But .. there's still a chance, right? If it does show up, then we know it's a pokémon, but if it doesn't, then we know it isn't."

Gary nodded slowly. "Something like that. It'll narrow things down, at least."

With that, Ash reached down to one of the pockets on his jeans, feeling the smooth, hard shape of his pokédex beneath the fabric. It was like a source of security for him; he'd had it since beginning his journey, and it felt odd to be without it. Since Pikachu was currently several regions apart from him, it was the one constant thing he had left.

"I'll make sure to keep it ready," he said. "Just in case we find that thing."

Gary nodded stiffly, his emerald eyes once again focused in front of him, this time they were burning with determination. "I hope so," he murmured, his hands clenching into fists against Skarmory's steel coat. "I hope so .. "

* * *

**Author's Note:** Happy Easter everyone! I mean, how suspiciously well timed was this update? Also, a good chunk of the next chapter is already written, meaning, hopefully, the next update won't require an outrageously long wait. So hurray!

Also, what do you think? They're going back to Kanto, which can either be a good thing, or a terrible, fatal mistake .. place your bets!

And to finish up, please may you review? Your wonderful words are what keeps me going :D xx


	10. Chapter Nine

**Author's Note:** Well, at least this update didn't take as long as last time xD Inspiration to finish it came from rewatching 'The Legend of Thunder', which is also what made me a QuestShipper :P

**Disclaimer:** If I ever get round to owning Pokémon, then chances are you'll hear about it, which would make this disclaimer unnecessary.

* * *

_Intuition_

**Chapter Nine**

It was rare to find anything in life to bring genuine shock to Professor Rowan. In his long life, he'd seen and experienced many things, so much so that his connection to the emotion was dulled.

But inevitably, no matter how prepared he could be for any situation, there was always something left to catch him off guard. It just had to be irony that the very occurrance was the one he'd promised to himself and others would not, under any circumstances, have the chance to happen.

That said, waking up to find two empty beds, then soon after discovering that the teenagers whom had previously occupied them were flat out _missing_ when their lives were potentially in danger .. it went without saying that the very scene fitted itself easily into the category of the few things that could give the professor a heart attack.

Though in this particular scenario, the silver lining brought non fatal results. If only just.

"What do you mean, they're gone?!" Samuel Oak spluttered, looking uncharacteristically fearful. Recieving news that your only grandson was missing was unlikely to ever go down well with anyone.

Professor Rowan had reluctantly delivered the news as soon as he could, having rushed to the video phone the moment he'd determined that the two teens were, in fact, gone. Every pokémon at the lab had searched both the grounds, the interior of the building, and even the entirety of Sandgem Town, and no trace of either Ash or Gary had been found, no matter where they looked, nor how many times. Soon enough, there was no denying it.

"I mean exactly that," the Sandgem professor determined, looking every bit as flustered as the other. "Ash and Gary are gone. I've searched for them all over the lab, and they're both _gone_."

If any colour had previously lingered in Professor Oak's already pale face, then it quickly vanished. The professor himself looked in danger of passing out. He opened his mouth a little, as though he were about to say something, but then closed it. He opened it again, repeated the process several times in his shock, resembling a Magikarp in slow motion, until finally;

"Bu .. wh .. _how?_" He managed to speak, his voice strained. "_How_ did they leave .. you said you'd be watching over them!"

"And I did!" Rowan protested. "I just didn't suspect they'd up and leave in the middle of the night, especially not on the same night Gary may have begun suspecting something."

Professor Oak's jaw seemed to lock in place, his entire body clearly tense. " .. you're sure they left of their own accord?" He asked after a slight pause.

The other nodded. "Their pokémon are missing, no signs of struggle, not to mention the security footage .. " He let out a lengthy sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "No doubt Gary was suspicious after the phone call, and since Ash went with him, I see no reason to argue that he told Gary all he knew."

The elder Oak frowned stiffly. "I should have guessed Ash wouldn't have kept it a secret from him," he half mumbled, mostly to himself.

"I warned you."

Immediately following the statement, a pair of dark blue eyes glared at him through the screen. "This isn't the time!" Professor Oak snapped. "You can yell at me later, even rub it in my face, but right now .. do you know when they left?"

He recieved a half shrug in response. "According to the cameras, it wasn't long after midnight."

Dark blue eyes narrowed in thought. "Depending on how they're planning to get back, they may already be in Kanto."

"So it's obvious what the first step in the plan is." At the questioning look he recieved, Professor Rowan went on, "At this point I wouldn't say they're much further than Cerulean City. If they're not, then it's still the first place they should arrive at. Get Officer Jenny to look out for them, and the gym leader, if you can."

Professor Oak nodded slowly. "Right. Okay then, I'll do that, and you .. " He trailed off, unsure of how to finish the sentence.

"I'll see what I can do here," the other concluded. "On the off chance that beast did figure out where they were, then it's likely it will be paying a visit."

_Intuition_

If Ash had to guess, then he would have easily believed that days had passed since he and Gary had departed from Sandgem Town. But even in his sleep deplieted state of mind, he could logically work out that it couldn't have been more than twelve hours. Judging by the warmth of what could only be the sunlight beating down on him, he could easily figure that one out, despite having spent most of that time in a deep sleep.

Feeling the sun radiating on his already tanned skin was creating a blissful warmth, especially in the sense that he was currently in his most relaxed state of mind, being those few moments in which he was gradually regaining consciousness. Though honestly, he didn't want it.

Ash was comfortable, not caring where he was, who was with him, or indeed, what he was doing. Though slowly, gradually, he became aware of his surroundings, all without having to open his eyes. He could tell simply by what he could feel.

Balancing out the would be overbearing heat up above was a gentle, even breeze that softly brushed his messy raven hair from his face, and ruffled his clothes. He seemed to be sitting on something soft, and possibly fluffy - though it was hard to confirm that fact through his jeans - and was leaning back against something both warm and soft, but also firm.

He sleepily searched through his mind for possibilities of what it could be, being admittedly too lazy to simply open his eyes and check. But after a few lazy, and fruitless guesses, he simply breathed out a contented sigh, and allowed his body to relax in order to let sleep take him once more.

Unfortunately, something, or someone, seemed to disagree. No sooner had Ash slumped back comfortably against whatever he was laying against, did an incessent something start jabbing him in his right side.

Moaning sleepily in protest, he tried to bat it away with a limp hand, only to have the annoying ministration transferred to his face. And needless to say, being poked in the face was undoubtably a sure fire to make someone wake up in a foul mood. That being said, Ash was certainly no exception.

Groaning grumpily, he turned his upper torso to the left, away from whatever it was, and buried his face in the rough fabric that touched his left cheek as he did. He sleepily murmured "Five more minutes, Mom," purely out of instinct, but then became increasingly aware of the quick rise and fall of what he was laying on, accompanied by what he could only assume to be laughter.

As the situation became more and more confusing in Ash's half conscious mind, he was quickly alerted by the sudden hot breath on his exposed ear, followed by the words, "Sorry to disappoint," spoken in a smooth voice that Ash knew all too well.

His mind suddenly fully awake, Ash's eyes snapped open, and he hesitantly looked up, wincing as he was momentarily blinded by the harshness of the sun's rays. He blinked rapidly in the following minute to allow his eyes to focus, and soon enough, a pair of emerald green eyes, and an infuriating smirk came into view.

"Gary?" He mused groggily. "What're you - " But he cut himself off as soon as he remembered the events from the night before. And following the small revelation was the realisation of the position he was in - the soft, yet firm thing that Ash had been sleeping against was none other than Gary's chest, and his face was currently partcially buried in the same Oak's jacket.

More or less the same position he'd been in for the previous few hours.

With a yelp of shock and embarassment, Ash jerkily scrambled up into a sitting position and scooted forward as far as he could, getting as far away from Gary as was currently possible, while the latter continued to laugh at the younger's discomfort.

Not risking turning to face his rival out of fear of being teased futher for his burning face, Ash stuttered out, "Sh - shut up, Gary!"

This, of course, did nothing to Gary, who proceeded to do the exact opposite, continuing to chuckle at Ash's embarassment. "Jeez, Ash," he teased, "I didn't think you'd get so worked up about it."

If it were possible, Ash flushed a shade deeper. "Well .. _you're_ the one who didn't wake me up!" He argued back.

Though Gary's laughter calmed down, Ash didn't need to look in order to confirm that he was still smirking. "You don't think I tried?" He asked. "You really think I _liked_ being crushed under your weight for Arceus knows how long?"

Ash lowered his head, growling under his breath. "You just did it to embarass me .. "

But Gary wasn't fazed. "Just tellin' it as it is, Ashy," he stated. "C'mon, is it really my fault that you sleep like a Snorlax?"

Wanting nothing more than to end the conversation right now, Ash simply pouted. "Just shut up .. "

"'Snore' being the adjective word - "

His temper peaking, Ash spun round so fast and violently, he very nearly threw Fearow off course. "_I don't snore!_" He insisted.

Gary just continued to smirk. "Whatever you say, Ashy boy."

Now, Ash was never one to let his former rival have the last word on things, regardless of whether or not he had something in mind to counter the previous statement. But just as he has opened his mouth to snap back at Gary, an eager caw from Fearow swiftly cut him off.

In that instant the argument was momentarily forgotten, and Ash turned back to face both the direction Fearow was flying them. He leaned forward, using his hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight, squinting in an effort to make out what Fearow had spotted in the distance. It soon came into focus, revealing itself to be a large stretch of land, growing rapidly in size as Fearow continued to get closer.

"Looks like we're here." Gary said, then added under his breath, "Finally."

Ignoring him for once, Ash instead sat back and asked, "Is that Kanto?"

Gary rolled his eyes at his former rival's choice of question. "Why not take a guess, Ash?" He quipped sarcastically, making the younger shuffle in front of him, a scowl on his face.

"I was just asking .. " He mumbled.

Choosing to pass on another remark to Ash's weak response in favour of keeping his mind on the job at hand, Gary held on to the younger's shoulders as they came closer to the cliff's edge, and Fearow began it's descent to land.

Taking Gary's unspoken advice, Ash circled his arms around Fearow's neck and held on tight, unwilling to allow the risk of accidently falling off.

As flying type came close to land on the cliff's edge, Gary's grip on Ash increased instinctively for a subconscious reassurance, and soon enough, Fearow had made a safe landing, lowering itself close to the ground in order to let the two trainers.

"That's that, then," Gary mused, letting go of Ash and swinging his leg over to one side, easily jumping off to land on the rocky ground. "You coming?" He directed back at Ash, standing up straight and smoothing his clothes out.

"Uh, yeah," he replied, automatically attempting to copy Gary's movements. He pulled both his legs to one side, and with a half hearted jump, he slid himself off.

Unfortunately, it was his bad luck that Fearow had just so happened to choose that very moment to shake it's wings out; a natural thing for a bird pokémon to do after a long flight, yet creating just enough movement to jolt Ash. With the trainer and the scenario combined, it was really no surprise when Ash lost his balance and crashed to the ground unceremoniously, landing more or less face first in the dirt.

For the following few seconds, everything seemed to freeze as those present absorbed the scene they were involved in. Then, as Ash had also predicted in this particular scenario, came the muffled sound of repressed laughter from not too far away. As always, that laughter belonged to the teen still steadily on his feet.

Hastily rolling over onto his back and scrambling to his feet, Ash quickly brushed himself off, trying to pretend that his face was any other shade that it's current beet red.

Once he was decently dusted, Ash shoved his hands in his pockets, looking anywhere but towards his former rival. "So," he coughed, "you, uh .. you ready?"

Gary, who was almost convulsing with poorly contained laughter, took the next full minute to steady his breathing, before taking a deep breath and managing to say, "Y - yeah. You?" Following his confirmation, he bit the inside of his cheeks in an attempt to prevent himself from laughing.

Ash, who could have passed out from the heat gathering in his face, cleared his throat. "Okay, so .. let's go." He said.

As if taking sympathy on his unfortunate rival, Gary recalled Fearow without a word, and clipped the poké ball back on his belt, all without tainting Ash about his infamous clumsiness. Although whether that had anything to do with his attempt to not laugh was left a mystery.

Noticing the silence that was creeping over them, Ash cleared his throat. "So, uh, what's the plan when we get to Pallet?" He inquired.

Gary, apparently trusting himself to speak properly, replied with, "Well, if we can get through Cerulean without attracting attention, we can go through Mt. Moon without having to worry about getting caught. Then I guess we'll wait until dark and use the cover to fly straight to Pallet." He looked up at his former rival. "Anything you'd like to add?"

Ash thought for a moment. "Well, what do we do when we get there? Won't Professor Oak just send us right back?"

Gary shook his head. "I doubt it. At least not at first, anyway. If this thing, or whatever it is, is near Pallet, then sending us back to Sinnoh will risk us being followed, so Gramps won't have much of a choice but to let us stay. At least for a while," he explained.

" .. I guess you've really thought this through, huh?" Ash said, rubbing the back of his head.

Gary shrugged. "I know my Gramps," was his simple reply.

Ash exhaled deeply. "Okay then .. what if we run into this thing?"

"I wouldn't think so." Gary said, starting to walk away in the direction of Cerulean. Ash noticed this a moment later, and quick ran to catch up with him. "As long as it doesn't find out we're heading back, I don't see any reason for it to leave Pallet."

Ash nodded slowly. "That makes sense, I guess .. "

Gary grunted. "Well, now that's all cleared up," he sent a pointed look towards the younger, "I just thought I'd give you a heads up - since you're no lighter on your feet than you were five years ago," Ash pouted at this, "if you get caught, then I'm leaving you behind."

Snapping his head towards his rival, Ash blanched, "What? Why?!"

Gary sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "_Because_, I'm getting to Pallet one way or another, and if you're gonna put that at risk, whether it's intentional or not, then this partnership is over. If you'll recall, you're only here because you so blatantly blackmailed me, so you don't have anything that I require to make this journey easier. Hell, if you weren't here I'd probably be back by this evening."

Ash raised a skeptic eyebrow, feeling hurt at his rival's words. "So, why are letting me stay right now?"

"Because you wouldn't stand a chance alone. And with that thing out there wanting to kill you, I'd give it about five minutes before it finds you."

Now glaring at the researcher, Ash countered with, "I can take it!"

Gary suddenly stopped in his tracks, his expression somewhere between annoyance and amusement. "Really? You'd take on some unknown, murderous beast head on, without a second plan should all else fail?" He inquired in an almost teasing manner. "Forgetting that it already took you down before, and the fact that you currently have five pokémon to back you up, what do you plan on doing if you lose?"

Ash opened his mouth to reply, before falling short of a possible retort. Seeing no way to win this argument, Ash simply turned away, silently fuming while his rival smirked.

"My thoughts exactly." He finished, resuming walking. Ash reluctantly followed, staying a few paces behind.

_Intuition_

Since arriving in Cerulean, an hour had passed slower than a Slugma could move, during which neither teen had said anything to one another. The moment their pointless, earlier conversation had come to an end, they'd both wordlessly chosen against attempting to converse with each other, preferring the silence.

Ash wasn't sure if he should feel insulted by his rival's lack of interest in him, or not.

Though either way, the matter was greatly overshadowed by the incessant rumbling of his stomach. It wasn't quite mid day yet, but it was still well past breakfast, and that gave him reason enough to complain. He thought so, at least.

"So hungry .. " Ash groaned, dragging his feet across the ground, doubled over in an attempt to quench the growing hunger pains in his mid region. "Need .. food .. "

On the other hand, Gary, who was keeping a steady pace a short distance in front of them, rolled his eyes at his rival's one track mind. It was right about now that he was sorely regretting his decision to sneak out the back way rather than take a chance and climb out his bedroom window. Maybe then he'd have avoided the burden of having his former rival as a travelling companion.

He sighed to himself at the younger's natural ability to make rash decisions. Hell, if Gary had just told him that they'd have to skip breakfast, Ash likely would have stayed put.

But then again, he probably still would have pulled out the blackmail, and they'd both still be in Sinnoh.

Rubbing his temples wearily, Gary decided that for now, he could at least focus on the positive of the situation. Even though he was stuck with Ash for Arceus knows how long, at least he was making - albeit slow - progress.

"Hey, Gary?"

The researcher let his arms fall to his sides. "What?" He asked.

"When're we gonna get lunch?"

A muscle above Gary's eye twitched in irritation. "I don't know," he spoke through gritted teeth. "You should have thought about that before we left."

Ash huffed softly. "How can you stand it?"

Gary turned slightly so that the younger was in his line of sight. "What?" He asked, "Being hungry?"

Ash nodded as his stomach growled again.

Smirking inwardly, Gary turned away before answering with, "Survival of the fittest, Ashy boy."

That did it.

"I'm not weak!" Ash insisted in near outrage, instantly straightening up and glaring at the back of Gary's head.

Gary chuckled to himself. Perhaps this way, the trip wouldn't seem so long ..

"Prove me wrong," he challenged.

_Intuition_

The minutes continued to pass uneventfully, and while his stomach refused to cease it's whining, Ash himself was, for once, following up on his rival's childish set challenge.

It was quite the miracle to behold.

But though Gary was subconsciously finding himself mildly impressed by this, it was obvious that Ash's sudden lack of communication didn't have much to do with any of their childhood reminest banters. Rather, Gary knew that his mind was already occupied by something much more serious.

Gary could see it. Hell, he could _feel_ it; Ash was radiating such a dismyll aura of dread and despair so heavy and thick, a Parasect's Poison Powder would be easier to ignore in comparison.

The similarities of the two moments in time were increasingly becoming much more alike that Gary could manage; almost to the point that he wanted to yell as loud as he could force himself to, then turn around and throw himself off the cliff's edge.

With the thought in mind, Gary very nearly gave an involuntary shudder; as drastic as it sounded, he really couldn't bring himself to doubt the idea happening in reality.

Of course, during those tear filled nights when Gary would cry for his parents, those days when he would push everyone away, not caring how he hurt them, and the times when he rejected help from anyone who was willing, Gary knew that Delia alone could not have helped him recover. Even with his Gramps' and Daisy's help, he doubted things would have been different.

As much as he didn't care to acknowledge it, Gary knew that it was Ash who had been the one to help him through it all. It was Ash who had been the one to bring him out of his consuming depression, Ash who had held his hand during the times when Gary could do little more than just cry.

Ash who had been so darn persistent that Gary had physically exhausted himself in trying to find the non existent way to push him out of his life.

And yet ..

Gary sneaked a look at his once rival, who was so caught up in his own misery that Gary could have whacked him across the head and he wouldn't have noticed, and couldn't begin to find a reason to deny the slight pang of guilt currently manifesting in his chest.

He knew he should do something to help his friend out. Even a word of comfort or reassurance that things would work out sooner or later would suffice more than his silent presence.

But no. While Gary hated himself for it, he just couldn't. He wasn't someone to issue false hope, even if there was a fair chance things _would_ work out for the best, and while now it seemed selfish not to ignore his pride in favour of doing something to cheer up his friend in need, in the end, Gary knew anything he did now would end up coming back to hurt him.

Sure, he could assure Ash that Delia would pull through, that Professor Oak was currently working on a sure fire way to make all this a thing of the past, but Gary just knew - he _knew_ that eventually, things wouldn't work out. Delia would meet her end, innocent people would be killed, and whatever this beast wanted, it would get. And Ash would be worse off than if Gary hadn't comforted him.

Maybe it didn't make much sense, but Gary had enough experience on the matter through his life to know that whatever positive thing he had to say, soon enough the exact opposite would happen. Like during the time Ash was upset because his dad had left, and Gary had assured him that he would come back. And he never did.

Sure, it sounded like the obvious thing, but Gary just couldn't forget the constant look of hope on his young friend's face, how he would run to the front door the moment he heard a knock. But soon enough, Gary became painfully aware of the fact that Ash's father was never coming home. And the slowly decreasing hope in Ash hurt Gary worse than he could have ever thought possible.

Ash's once shining hope had come crashing down, causing him the pain Gary had felt so many years ago. The pain that still lingered, refusing to go away.

And Gary just couldn't bear it. He could make things better now, but ultimately, it would make things all the more worse later.

He always did.

"Hey, Gary?"

The sudden, soft break of the silence prised Gary from his musings, and he looked over to see Ash giving him a bemused looked. The older grunted to show his attention was on the younger.

"D'you .. " Ash hesitated for a moment, biting his bottom lip. Gary almost wished he'd started some type of argument to keep Ash out of his inner thoughts. " .. you don't think mom will really .. die?"

Gary stopped right where he was, his emerald eyes locked onto Ash's sienna. "Why are you asking me that?" He was honestly a little unnerved by how blunt Ash was being right now. Not to mention his choice of question.

Looking as uncomfortable as Gary felt, Ash just shrugged. "Just .. wondering, that's all."

At this, Gary felt a shiver work it's way down his spine. Right now, Ash looked so .. vulnerable, so different from the brash, overconfident trainer Gary knew. It was almost creepy.

He placed a hand on the raven haired boy's shoulder. "Ash .. " He started, wanting to be honest with him. "Gramps said her injuries weren't so bad. And if I know your mom, then she's not going down so easily."

Ash looked up at his rival with a mixture of confusion and distrust. "But, what if - " He suddenly jolted when Gary's grip on his shoulder increased to an almost painful hold.

"She's not going to die." Gary said firmly. "Screw what happens, she won't leave you."

Ash just stared, unsure of how to react. The hesitance lingered in his eyes, which Gary noticed seemed to be holding more moisture than usual; the first notable sign of tears before they fell.

Directly, it wasn't his fault, but Gary felt like kicking himself. He'd rather be forced to listen to Ash's incessant whining than risk being near him when the water works started. Ash may have been the more sensitive of the two, but he could usually hold on to his emotions. Still, when he started and the tears began to fall, he wouldn't be stopping any time soon.

The researcher sighed, resisting the urge to run a hand through his hair. "Just .. don't think about it right now," he said, his tone taking on a gentle tone that was so rare to him. "Worrying about all the bad things isn't going to help. Let's just get back to Pallet, and then we'll focus on that, okay?"

Ash was hesitant; that much was obvious. He seemed to be physically debating whether or not to bite his lower lip, while mentally, he was thinking everything through. Emotionally .. Gary couldn't be sure, but it wasn't a healthy choice.

Ash was scared, and his body language showed it. It was just a matter of whether or not Gary noticed the signs, however subtle they may be.

Eventually, he gathered enough strength to break the silence, yet he had barely begun his sentence, Gary suddenly jolted forward, instantly moving at twice the speed he usually would, grabbing hold of Ash's upper arm and holding it in a vice grip. Ash's yelp of shock never passed his lips, as Gary's other hand was quick to clamp down on the trainer's mouth, muffling any sound he could make.

"Shh!" Gary hissed, roughly pulling Ash off the pathway and into the thicket of bushes. Had he not collided with Gary's form, Ash would have found himself crashing to the ground - _again_.

The sudden collision didn't faze Gary, who kept hold of Ash, pressing him against a nearby tree and keeping them both out of sight from any non existent passerby.

Had Ash been able to speak, he would have questioned what the hell Gary was doing, but his rival was tense and still, his eyes looking away from Ash, but clearly unseeing, while his hand remained where it was, the pressure beginning to edge over to pain. So much so that Ash struggled in his limited space, his own hands trying to prise Gary's from his face, his screams of protest muffled, but audible.

"Just shut up, would ya?" Gary suddenly snapped quietly, so only Ash could hear.

Sensing the rarely used urgency in his rival's tone, Ash, wanting to survive the day in one piece, chose to obey his former rival for once, ceasing all movement and sound. Instead, he studied Gary, who seemed to be anticipating something. Though what it was, Ash couldn't begin to fathom. Instead, his attention was spiked as he noticed how the space between him and Gary was gradually falling from existence, while the researcher seemed not to care.

Once again, a handful of minutes passed with nothing to show for it, and all tension gradually left Gary's body, seemingly reassuring him so that he slowly removed his hand, restoring Ash's ability to speak, which the trainer immediately put to use;

"Gary, what was that for?" He half demanded in a hushed whisper.

The researcher, though less tense by a very reasonable ammount, had yet to put his guard down, continuing to search his line of sight, limited by the greenery, cautiously. "I thought I heard something," he said.

"Like what?" Ash couldn't keep himself from asking.

"A trainer," Gary said simply, then continued his explanation just as Ash had opened his mouth to inquire further, "Someone's definitely training nearby; I heard them tell their pokémon to use Hydro Pump."

Ash frowned, confusion filling him at the statement. He couldn't recall hearing anything himself, though Gary did tend to have the senses of an Absol at times. Even so, he strained his ears, trying to hear any sound from the apparent mystery trainer.

Eventually, when no voice from either a human, nor a pokémon was heard, he stated, "I don't hear anything," earning him an exasperated sigh from the researcher.

"Obviously you wouldn't if you keep talking," Gary whispered harshly, the volume of his voice reminding Ash to keep his own voice down.

"Do you still hear them?" He inquired, his voice hushed.

His movements slow, Gary shook his head, but just as his lips parted for him to speak, the silence was shattered by a distant, "Flamethrower, Gyarados!" somewhere from behind Ash.

Both teens stared sharply towards the said direction, the distinct roar of the pokémon following the clearly spoken command.

"I definitely heard that," Ash spoke unneccesarily, his eyes wide from the sudden exclaimations.

Gary, on the other hand, let go of Ash and stepped back onto the path. "It doesn't sound like a battle," he said, "so let's keep moving, then they probably won't know we were ever here."

Ash gave no verbal reply, instead nodding as he waded his way through the thick grass, back onto the gravel pathway. Gary held onto his wrist, leading Ash along and moving them both stealthily away from the apparent training session, staying in the cover of the trees, yet close enough to the path to watch for any passersby.

Both teens stayed silent, even their breathing being forcably muted to a lower level. Ash kept up with Gary's rapid pace, staying as close as he could without causing any inconvenience.

Emerald eyes were narrowed and hardened in determination as Gary maneuvoured through the greenery, moving with such fluent movements, one would be sure he could find his way through Cerulean Cape blindfolded.

But eventually, he froze in mid action, the sharp lack of movement almost causing Ash to collide with him, but thankfully he managed to catch himself at the last moment.

"Whoa, Gary, warn me next time!" Ash exclaimed, though remembering to keep his voice hushed, loud enough only for Gary to hear. But when the researcher showed no signs of offering a reply, he questioned, "Why'd you stop?"

Had Ash not been looking, he would have missed seeing Gary give a subtle shake of his head, emerald eyes calculating.

"Gary?" The trainer repeated, his gaze following his former rival's, but noticing nothing. "Did you hear something?"

But before Gary could reply, a voice suddenly cut through the heavy silence, making Ash's heart stutter. Though it wasn't for the sudden noise, but rather the fact that he recognised it all too well.

"I've found nothing yet, sir," the voice announced to a second person. "Are you sure they've yet to cross through here?"

Of all the people to encounter, they had to come across Officer Jenny.

"Seems most likely," said the second person. "But even if those two don't arrive here, we're not running the risk of letting them slip through. Keep a sharp eye out, understood?"

"Yes sir," Jenny replied. "I have Arcanine trailing the area, so we won't miss their scent. Should I update the professor?"

"There's no point at this stage," the other dismissed. "Until the next hour, or if there's any change, we should focus on the search."

"Understood."

The conversation was promptly ended, and the sound of two sets of feet walking in opposite directions gradually faded out into nothing.

"Shit!" Gary hissed under his breath.

"Does that mean they're looking for us?" Ash questioned, though he was already certain of the answer.

"Seems like it," Gary responded, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "This is just great .. "

Ash frowned in thought. "We can still get there, right? We got this far, and - "

"The situation has changed a little, Ash," Gary snapped back, his voice still quiet. "We didn't need to avoid anyone while in the skies, did we?"

"So what?" Ash retorted. "Are you giving up now?"

Gary's expression darkened. "Absolutely not," he said firmly. "But do you see any way out of this little predicament?"

Normally, Ash would have yelled back the first thing that came into his head, but just as he'd opened his mouth to speak, another voice cut him off.

"Hey, did you hear something?"

Both teens froze, their heads snapping towards the sudden sound.

"I think so .. are there any trainers around here?" A second voice inquired.

"Just a few. Only those with permission are allowed up here right now, and they're mostly up at the lake."

"Hmm .. it might have been a pokémon, but I'm not risking it."

The micro second the statement was finished, a blast of light burst through the thicket of leaves, immediately followed by a sound Gary knew well.

"Shit," he hissed, dashing in the direction they had just come, never letting go of Ash. "We have to move!"

"What do you - _ah!_" Ash yelped, narrowly avoiding being struck across the face with a branch that, to him, appeared out of nowhere.

"Just run!" Gary half shouted, his grip tightening to the point that his nails were beginning to dig into Ash's skin.

While Ash would have questioned it, an almost echoing howl shook the area, the sound dying out to make way for the sound of heavy, rapid footsteps. Something was on their trail, and it was catching up fast.

Out of instinct, Ash turned his head slightly to see what was gaining on them, only for Gary to sharply change direction, making them both stumble through Ash's lack of attention. The very action was what caused the ground to disappear beneath their feet.

His head spinning, all reasonable thought in Ash's mind was hard to grasp as he was quickly thrown off balance, falling to what would have been the hard, grassy covered earth, but instead tumbling down the muddy slope Gary had been aiming to avoid. And having been holding on to his former rival, Gary had little time to react before he fell after Ash, the both of them falling unceremoniously down the slope, which seemed almost unending from their point of view.

At least until they both broke through the surface of what couldn't be anything other than a lake. A deep one, at that, as both were completely submerged before they could draw in a breath.

Cool, stinging saltiness of the water obscered Ash's vision, through which he could see nothing but the transparent depths that surrounded him.

Blinking rapidly in a futile attempt to clear his vision, Ash looked around wildly, the shock and suddeness of the situation having scrambled his mind enough so that it was hard to tell up from down. His gaze almost immediately fell upon Gary who, from what Ash could make out through his blurred sight, looked nearly as confused as Ash felt.

The need for oxygen was becoming much more prominent as the seconds ticked past, and Ash immediately scrambled for the surface, knowing where it was only because he was following Gary's lead. But as the bright surface became ever closer with each stroke of his arm and kick of his leg, just as the very tips of his fingers grazed the warm air above, a sudden force gushed past somewhere beneath the water. The strength of the motion seemed to grasp hold of Ash, dragging him back down into the watery depths.

A gurgled yelp escaped Ash's mouth, the sound muffled by water and coming out as little more than an air bubble, depleiting his already low air supply. He felt his arms flail about against his will, his chest tightening and his lungs already suffering from the dry burn.

Forcing his aching body to move, he tried to swim. Up, down, he didn't know. He just needed to move, the momentary panic of drowning cancelling out all rational thought, while his vision became dotted with black. But those panic stricken thoughts were quickly dashed themselves when Ash felt something circle round his waist, pressing his back against something as water continued to rage around him.

His body was struggling, fighting to draw in oxygen that was not obtainable. He pressed his lips tightly shut, willing himself not to fill his suffering lungs with a substance that would swiftly kill him.

He wouldn't. He _couldn't_. He ..

.. broke through the surface of the lake the very moment his self control caved in. Fresh, addictive air filled Ash's senses as he inhaled deeply, gulping down the almost sweet tasting oxygen.

Beside him, he heard sounds nearly in sync with his own, the obvious notes of someone other than himself struggling to catch their breath.

Whatever had been around his waist lingered, and as his heart slowed down, breathing becoming easier, Ash managed to prise his eyes open, looking down. Someone's arm, latched firmly around him, and he trailed his along to whomever it was attached to, it wasn't long before his own sienna eyes met a pair of disoriented emerald.

"G - Gary - ?" The trainer couldn't help but splutter through a series of quite painful coughs. While Gary himself seemed about as close to full recovery as Ash had been roughly ten seconds ago, his eyes blinked rapidly, trying to focus.

"Ash?" He spoke, his voice sounding strange through Ash's water logged ears. "What are you doing here?" Despite the absurdity of the question, it wasn't why Ash stared. Either he was developing psychic powers, or Gary had learn to speak without moving his lips. "Ash?" As well as sounding .. feminine?

Those emerald eyes no longer focused on Ash, instead squinting at something behind the trainer. Following his gaze, Ash turned around, the action awkward due to floating in a lake with only a disoriented researcher as means of support. But still, the feet was managed. Yet what Ash saw definitely wasn't something he was prepared for. Or some_one_ to be more accurate.

"Ash?" The voice asked again, only this time the source was recognisable. And as the floating colours that made up Ash's vision finally shifted into place, he couldn't stop his eyes from widening as surprise filled him.

A pair of jade eyes stared back into his own, the face on which they adorned framed by silky waves of fiery hair. The sight was enough to make Ash's voice function.

" .. Misty?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** It was an Arcanine - that's what they were running from. It's just easier to say it outright in an author's note, haha. Also, more build up; how thrilling. Anti-climatic, but I'm setting the stage for a little later on. Also, it's short, but it just seemed like a good place to cut it off. Or I'm just that lazy :P

So .. nothing more to say here, so I guess all I can say is I hope you enjoy!


	11. Chapter Ten

**Author's Note:** It was mentioned, and so I thought about it .. Gary _is_ being a total dick right now, huh? No worries! It doesn't last. In fact the only reason his attitude goes on into the next chapter is because I split this one in two. We would have had an extremely long chapter, otherwise. Not a bad thing, but now I feel better about updating :)

**Disclaimer:** I would love to own Pokémon, but I don't. It's tragic ..

* * *

_Intuition_

**Chapter Ten**

"Ash?" The gym leader repeated, likely more for her own benefit than the trainer in question, who's eyes remained locked upon the confused pair of jade a few feet before him.

"Uh .. " Was all Ash seemed capable of saying in this moment, though realisation soon flashed through his features, and he rubbed the back of his head almost sheepishly. "Hey, Misty. Long time no see."

Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that this was neither the right thing to say, nor anything close to what the red haired trainer wanted to hear. In an instant, her entire demeanour shifted from bewilderment to fury, her infamous temper setting those jade eyes into a raging inferno.

"Long time no see?" Her voice was dangerously low, yet controlled. The volume soon shifted, though. "_Long time no see?_ Ash Ketchum, do you have _any_ idea how worried I've been? Arceus, only this morning Professor Oak called me to tell me that you and _Gary_ - " she spat out the young Oak's name, " - had run off to who knows where, when you were both given the direct order to _stay put!_"

By the time Misty had finished her rant, the distance between her and Ash was considerably larger. Had he been able to move himself to do so, Ash would have been content to use his rival as a human shield, especially since Gary himself remained unfazed by the water pokémon trainer's rage.

"What were you thinking?!" She suddenly went on, her jade eyes blazing. "You ran away in the middle of the night without telling anyone where you were, or what you were up to .. please don't tell me you expected to get away with this without consequences? And when I found out what happened, jeez Ash, I thought you were going to get hurt! Did you even think about anyone else?"

Despite years of dealing with her explosive temper, it seemed as though Ash would never get used to being on the receiving end of it. Unsure of what else to say, he only dared himself to speak upon noticing the impatience radiating off of Misty.

"Uh, well .. y'know," he struggled to form words, idly noting how he'd rather take on Misty's Gyarados with his bare hands than risk facing the wrath of the trainer herself. The water pokémon in question was resting a few metres away from both the trainer and the researcher, it's purple eyes flickering back and forth as it examined the scene, only mildly interested.

"I .. didn't think you'd worry so much," he managed to finish, but immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say.

Having travelled with her for several years, Ash could truthfully say he knew Misty well enough to predict what would happen next. She would yell at him some more, her temper exploding full force with the enraged insistence that she didn't care for him, and was merely looking out for him as a good deed to the professor. At least she would have if she'd been twelve years old again. It went without saying that Ash very nearly had a heart attack when Misty's rage, instead of reaching boiling point, evaporated into nothing. If he'd considered it safe to move, he would have hit himself on the head just to make sure he was neither dreaming, or hallucinating.

"Ash," she half sighed, folding her arms across her chest, "what are you doing here?"

The trainer could do little more than stare at the sudden mood switch, blinking a few times, yet the scene remained unchanged. "What d'you mean?" He managed, once he found his voice.

A hint of a frown touched Misty's features. "Ash, you _do_ realise that there's pretty much a region-wide search for you two?" She said, quite matter-of-factly.

"What?" Ash almost yelped. "Wh - uh, I mean .. do you know why?" He tried to keep as calm as he could, though when Misty shook her head in the negative, he wasn't sure if he should be relieved at the knowledge.

"No. Professor Oak told me that you were supposed to be in Sinnoh with Gary because the two of you would be safer there," she explained, looking a little uneasy. "He wouldn't tell me what was going on, only that this morning both of you were gone and he had to find you."

"You spoke with him?" Ash inquired, and she nodded.

"If you could call it that," she elaborated. "All he really did was ask me if I'd seen either of you, and that I had to tell him as soon as possible if I did. I've never seen him so worried about anything. You should have seen him, Ash, he's practically going out of his mind."

The information caused a knot of guilt to twist itself horribly in Ash's stomach. Even more so when he realised he hadn't given much thought as to how the professor would react. If he'd known it would be to that level, then he would have re-thought things a bit.

"What's going on?" Misty's voice brought him out of his budding thoughts. From the tone of her voice, she seemed genuinely concerned. "Did you get caught up in something? It Team Rocket? Seriously, what happened to make the professor so worried?"

Ash knew he would have told her the truth, but the fact that he didn't know much about it himself, he could only sum things up in two words. "It's .. complicated," he admitted.

Misty sighed, looking as though she'd been expecting that very answer. "That's exactly what Professor Oak said when I asked him," she said.

"Incidentally, it _is_ pretty complicated," Gary spoke up for the first time since accidently arriving in the red head's presence. "And according to Gramps, it seems that the less people know, the better. Which, by all means, includes you." The tone of his voice, in addition to whom they were directed at, was enough to get the fiery haired trainer riled up again.

"Oh yeah?" She demanded, her jade eyes blazing as she glared at the researcher, who remained unaffected by her presence. "Well let me ask you this, did you ever think about your grandfather when you planned this little heist? Do you know how worried he is?"

In his typical arrogance, Gary raised an eyebrow. "Whether or not I did, I fail to see how any of my actions concern you. And since I haven't made a habit of lecturing you about any of your sisters, I'd appreciate it if you kept away from the subject of my family."

For a split second it looked as though Misty's patience had surpassed it's limit, but before she could give a verbal reply, Gary swiftly beat her to it. "Before you get on my case, you can at least give us a few moments to get out of this lake. In case you weren't aware, it's cold."

In the turn of events, the younger two had all but forgotten about the fact that the boys were submerged in water up to their chests, and Gary had been making a conscious effort to keep them both afloat. Misty looked like she was going to say something, but instead opted to exhale heavily. She gave a sideways glance to Gyarados, who had been watching the argument play out with a mild interest, and in the following moments, both boys were easily lifted out of the lake on the atrocious pokémon's tail, their feet soon landing on solid ground once again.

"So," Misty snapped once that was done, "are you going to tell me anything?"

Running a hand through his auburn spikes, Gary gave some resemblance of a shrug. "If you're going to snap at me like that, then no," he said simply.

It went without saying that the red head was far from impressed, now glowering at the cocky researcher. "Then I could always get the answers out of you one way or another," she threatened, her hands clenching into fists.

"I'd like to see that happen," was the response she got.

In that instant, a Slowpoke would have enough common sense to run and hide, seeing as jade eyes were all but alight with a combination of annoyance and anger. Mentally praying to Arceus everyone would be able to walk away from the confrontation alive and in one piece, Ash spoke up;

"We need to get back to Pallet Town," he offered, hoping it would be enough to satisfy Misty's curiosity and distract her from the budding argument at hand.

From the expression on her face as she turned to him, it seemed that it had worked. "Pallet Town?" She inquired, tilting her head a little in thought. " .. actually, I'm more concerned about why you had to run away to get back here. Couldn't you have just spoken to somebody?"

"We already tried that," Gary interjected, half paying attention to the conversation while trying to dry out his hair, which seemed fully capable of staying in his signature spikes despite the increased weight of moisture. "And before you say anything, I'll tell you this: it was a waste of time, and I wasn't going to hang around for something to happen. Ash caught me while I was sneaking out," he concluded, nodding a little in the trainer's direction.

Misty raised an eyebrow. "Sneaking out, huh? If you woke Ash, then you must not have done a very good job. He sleeps deeper than a Snorlax," she jided, earning a protest from the raven.

"I was already awake!" Ash insisted truthfully, though clearly he would remain unheard.

Gary gave a heavy sigh. "Look, we're wasting time by standing around and talking about this. So if you're done, we need to go," he was already walking away before he'd finished his sentence.

"No way!" Misty protested, standing in front of Gary with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. "Do you really think I'm going to just let you go? Whether or not you intend to go back to Pallet Town, your grandfather is _really_ worried about you. Aren't you going to at least call him?"

"If I did, he'd send me and Ash back to Sinnoh in a heart beat," Gary stated, unsuccessfully trying to edge around the red head, who effortlessly kept up with his movements, preventing him from proceeding. "I'm trying to get answers, and I clearly wasn't going to get them waiting around in another region. I need to talk to him in person, so will you move out of the way, for crying out loud?" His patience was wearing thin with her persistence.

Though it was obvious Misty wasn't going to be giving up anytime soon. "That's not fair, Gary," she argued. "He's your _grandfather_, and he's completely frantic in worrying about you. It wouldn't kill you to let him know you're okay!"

"Then why don't _you_ call him if you're so worried?" Gary snapped back, having finally had enough of her stubborn attitude.

"Oh, no! I'm not getting chewed out for letting you go just because you wouldn't listen to me!" She countered swiftly, her lips pressed into a tight frown. "In fact, I should call Officer Jenny and have her bring you back to wherever you're supposed to be. I bet you won't even make past the city centre before she finds you anyway. The whole department is searching for you!"

"Wait, the _whole_ department?" Ash spoke up, unable to keep his silence any longer. " .. what does that mean?"

Continuing to glare at Gary for another few seconds, Misty then redirected her gaze to Ash. "It means exactly that, Ash; the entire police department is out looking for you and Gary. I'm amazed you got this far with how many there patrolling the cape by itself!"

Absent-mindedly, Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah well, we almost got caught .. " He admitted quietly, recalling the events from just a few minutes ago, idly wondering if their argument had been over heard by anyone.

Misty tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you're not getting any further, trust me," she said. "If you take one step in Cerulean, then Officer Jenny will be on you so fast, Brock would die of jealousy."

Despite the seriousness of their predicament, Ash couldn't suppress a snicker at the mental image. Thankfully, it was ignored by both others.

"What makes you so sure of that?" Gary asked, clearly sceptical.

Misty's gaze snapped back to him. "In case you didn't know, I live in Cerulean," she retorted. "I needed to pass a test to prove my identity, bring my trainer's license and list down what pokémon and possessions I have on me just to able to get into the cape. They're only allowing a few people up here so they can keep track of everything, and it doesn't include any random trainer. So believe me, they'll find you."

"Uh .. don't you think that's a bit of an overkill?" Ash questioned, unsure of how to follow up the statement.

Misty gave a slight shrug. "Maybe, but it doesn't seem to bother them. A lot of trainer's complained about the cape being out of bounds, but that's the extent of it," she explained.

"Well, that helps," Gary responded, sarcasm lacing each word. "But we can still get past them. We just need to wait for the right time."

"If you mean 'wait until it gets dark', then it's not going to work," Misty snapped back, tolerating nothing from the researcher. "It sounds like a good cover, but this is Officer Jenny we're talking about. She'll have thought about that."

With the limitations becoming ever more apparent, Gary clenched his fists in frustration, exhaling loudly and impatiently. "Then what would you suggest we do?" He asked the red head, who glared at him in response.

"You don't really think I'm going to help _you_, do you?" She scoffed. "Forget about it. If you want my help, then you're out of luck."

As those words tumbled out of Misty's mouth, Ash could have sworn he heard Gary growl at her. Shortly afterwards, the researcher turned to face Ash.

"Charming friends you have," he deadpanned. "You always seemed so close, but I'm beginning to see why you dumped her. Dawn's a lot nicer. Better to look at, too."

The effect was instant.

"_Excuse me?_" Misty yelped, outrage written all over her features. "I'm the one who left _him!_ And for that matter," she turned to glare at Ash, "you still owe me a bike!"

"What?!" Ash exclaimed. "It got fixed!"

"That doesn't change the fact that you broke it," she snapped.

"Pikachu broke it!" He protested. "And it was an accident, anyway. I had to get him to the pokémon centre."

"And why was he hurt in the first place? _You_ were the one who made those Spearow angry, so in all fairness, it all comes down to you."

"How is that fair? I didn't know it would get so angry! If I did, I wouldn't have done anything. If Pikachu had listened to me, I wouldn't have gotten frustrated and threw the rock!"

"It's not his fault you were such an incompetent trainer!"

"Like you were any better!"

Her face flushed red. "You take that back!"

"Not until you apologise!"

"For _what?!_"

"_Would you both shut up?!_" Gary's shout cut through the other two's childish banter sharply.

At the sound, both teens paused, Ash just about to protest further, and Misty looking ready to wrap her hands around his throat. Years ago at the beginning of their journey, neither would admit they were at fault. Thankfully, their growth in maturity since then meant that they at least had the good grace to look embarassed once they'd quietened down.

"I don't have time for this," Gary sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb. "Ash, if you want to stay and argue, then that's fine, I won't stop you. But at least try not to get yourself caught, okay?"

With that, Gary went to walk away, only this time it was Ash who prevented him, grabbing hold of his arm.

"No way!" The trainer protested. "I'm still coming."

"Then shut up and get a move on," Gary reliated, pulling his arm from Ash's grip.

Behind them, they heard Misty huff in frustration. "I've already told you, there's no way you're getting past Officer Jenny," she reminded them.

Gary looked at her over his shoulder. "Yes, I'm aware of what you said," he confirmed. "But that doesn't mean I'll listen to you."

Once again, Misty frowned. "Then obviously you have no common sense," she replied. "Whatever you have planned, then no doubt someone suspected it. If you want to wait around until night, then I don't think you'll get that far. It's barely midday, and if you're not found soon, then Officer Jenny will just increase the search."

"Or they'll figure we've gotten past them and move on to somewhere else," Gary pointed out reasonably. "Even if they do find us, then we can battle if it comes down to it."

"Against the entire Cerulean police department?" Scepticism laced Misty's voice. "Good luck."

Though Gary glared at her with undisguised annoyance, his emerald eyes hard, his voice was surprisingly calm and controlled. "Then I'll repeat my earlier question: what would you suggest?"

"I already told you that I'm not helping you. Maybe if you were nicer, then I'd consider it. But you got yourself into this mess, so you'll have to get yourself out of it."

Again, Gary turned to Ash. "Do tell me, was she always this helpful, or is she just PMSing?"

Jade eyes practically sparking, for the first time emerging from the lake, Misty looked very much like she wanted to slap Gary. In any case, she was certainly being pushed to her limit if the twitching eyebrow was anything to go by.

"I said I would consider helping you if you were nicer!" She snapped. "But forget it. If this is how you treat people then no wonder Ash never liked you. Sometimes I thought you were nice, but you're just an arrogant jerk."

Her frown was then mirrored onto Gary's expression. "You don't say? In case you didn't notice, everyone, myself included, figured that out several years ago. I used to think you were clever for your age, but if you're realising that now, then I'd say you should be praised for making Ash look smart in comparison."

The red head's cry of "_What?!_" coupled with the raven's "Don't bring me into this!" sent the sound echoing through the clearing. Gary was rather astounded that they hadn't been found out with all the racket the other two were making.

"See it now?" He stated with a nonchalant shrug. "You're like a Shellder, and he's a Slowpoke. Put the two of you together and you evolve .. and trust me when I say a Slowbro is nothing to brag about."

"Real smooth there, Oak," Misty pouted. "_I'm_ a Shellder? What does that mean you are?"

Gary paused for a brief moment, then shrugged again. "I guess that makes me the King's Rock," he said. "Slowking are a lot smarter than you think. I'm sure Ash has some hidden intelligence somewhere."

"That's not even a pokémon!" Came the protest. "Anyway, the King's Rock isn't what makes a Slowpoke evolve; it attracts the Sheller to bite it's head."

"It's still a lot more useful than a Shellder," Gary quipped. "Have you ever tried surfing with one of those? It's next to impossible. A King's Rock allows certain pokémon to evolve; in other words, it makes them stronger. Not to mention Shellder is one of the weakest water types. In a simple term, a King's Rock is a lot better, and much more useful."

"But it's an _object_, what does that imply when you need to battle? Are you just going to sit around and let other people do it for you?"

"I'm neither a gym leader, nor do I compete in Leagues anymore. Slowbro battle, and while they're pretty good, a Slowking is stronger in terms of base stats. A King's Rock boosts power, so even if I weren't to battle directly, it's concrete proof than my presence alone is enough to make someone stronger." He sent her a teasing smirk. "Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"A King's Rock makes the opposing pokémon flinch! That neither makes the pokémon holding it stronger, nor pays you a compliment."

"But if the other pokémon is negatively affected, it gives the Slowpoke an advantage. Therefore, it actually makes the Slowpoke stronger."

"That's not the point!" Misty raged. "You said that it's concrete evidence, but how does that mean you - !"

"_Misty!_"

Screeching to a sudden halt, the water pokémon trainer seemed almost bewildered for a moment, before she turned her head in Ash's direction, his exclamation having shocked both her and Gary out of their argument.

With their attention on him, Ash gave a heavy sigh. "Do you guys even know what you're talking about anymore?" He questioned.

While the argument had been going on, he'd been trying to determine exactly how a conversation about sneaking past Officer Jenny had shifted into pokémon comparisons. And from the sudden flashes of realisation on the faces of the older two, they'd come to this conclusion as well.

"Well, whatever," Gary brushed off. "Let's go, Ash."

A few feet away from him, Misty huffed. "How many times do I have to tell you that you _can't?_"

Gary raised an eyebrow at her. "Real positive thinker, aren't you?"

For a few moments, Misty looked ready to snap back at him, before throwing her arms in the air. "I give up! You're impossible!" Saying that, she turned on her heel, swiftly recalling Gyarados and dropping the poké ball in her back before slinging it over her shoulder. "Whatever you want to do, then fine, go do it. Just don't complain to me when it all falls through, okay?"

With that, she wasted no time in walking away from both boys. Though she got barely ten meters away from the lake before she felt someone grab her arm.

"Misty," the raven's voice sounded, making her look back to meet his gaze. "Can you help us?"

For once, Ash was asking for her help out of his own free will. The suddenness of it made Misty momentarily lose the feeling in both her legs, though thankfully she retained her balance.

"You want my help?" She asked, feeling the need to confirm such a fact, before she hastily shook her head. "Well, despite the pleasantries of _him_ over there," she shot Gary a nasty look, "I'm sorry. I can't help you, Ash." She went to yank her arm out of his grip, but Ash kept hold of her.

"Misty," he repeated, only this time his tone of voice made the red head pause, as though she hadn't suspected Ash to be capable of producing such a sound. " .. please."

That one, final word was enough to make Misty's breath hitch in her throat. She would have doubted it's sincerity, but as her jade eyes met his sienna, the emotion contained within them told her that he was being nothing but genuine.

Hesitating for a full few seconds, Misty eventually sighed. "Ash, I don't know what I can do," she said apologetically. "I'm sorry, I would help you, but I can't."

"Misty, we need to get back to Pallet as soon as possible, and if what you said about Officer Jenny is true, then we can't do it on our own," he said. "We need your help."

For a long while, Misty looked torn between her loyalty to her best friend, and doing what seemed morally right. Her jade eyes shimmered with the emotion she felt, displaying her hesitance for Ash to see. "I .. I really don't know what I can do. I can't see a way past Cerulean, and even so it's not just that," she paused for a moment, inhaling deeply. "If it weren't so serious, then Professor Oak wouldn't have the entire police department swarming Kanto for the two of you -"

"Misty," there was an unhidden seriousness in Ash's voice that cut the red head's sentence off against her will. "I .. " He seemed to be physically struggling to put words together, but in a rarer show of patience, Misty waited. Eventually, Ash sighed. "Okay, I don't know what's really going on, but you're right - it's serious."

Though Ash paused, Misty stayed silent, both unknowing of what to say to that, and because she sensed he was not yet done.

"I don't know how much I can tell you, but .. "

Hesitation was radiating from Ash's very being, enough for Misty to touch his arm and give it an encouraging squeeze. "Tell me, Ash," she coaxed.

The trainer shifted a little, his gaze flickering over to Gary and pleading the silent question. The researcher didn't react for a moment, but then gave a single nod of his head.

"If you can trust her, then go ahead," came the verbal confirmation. "But make it quick."

It was all the motivation he needed. Once Gary had given him the confirmation, the words just spilled from Ash's mouth before he was fully aware of it. He knew -somewhere in his mind- that it probably wasn't a good idea, but it didn't seem like there were very many options left.

As he spoke, Misty remained silent. She nodded a few times in regard to her knowledge of several things, the news of Cinnabar Island being one of them, but as the story progressed towards the more recent events, that was when her curiosity and worry transformed into shock.

Ash was aware of her soft gasps every so often, and how her jade eyes were steadily becoming wider with each word he spoke, but it was like he was acting on auto-pilot. Yet somehow, he wasn't sure he'd be able to bring himself to stop even if he had the option.

Once he finished up, adding in the basic explanation as to how they got back to Kanto, Misty seemed almost frozen where she stood, as though encased by an invisible Ice Beam. She seemed only capable of blinking, but even then it was likely forced.

" .. so," she eventually spoke after a period of silence, "you're saying that a few days ago, you were attacked by something, then sent away to Sinnoh. But when you realised something much bigger was going on, you and Gary came back here to get answers you wouldn't get otherwise?"

The way Misty laid out the explanation, she was clearly disbelieving. Perhaps it was the shock, or maybe denial. Then again, she could have been silently wondering if Ash assumed she were naïve enough to truly believe something like that. Either way, she was shaken.

"Misty," Ash tried, inwardly beginning to panic, a feeling of dread creeping into his stomach and twisting it into a painful knot. He was silently praying she would at least refrain from freaking out, or yelling at him, but judging by how her lips had managed to press themselves into a nearly non existent line, that hope was quickly dashed. " .. Mist - "

Before he could get anywhere with his statement, Misty moved so quick and suddenly enough to make Ash flinch. But as she lifted her hands, it turned out she hadn't done so to slap Ash, but rather to bury her face into them.

"Ash, you .. how .. ? _Ugh!_" She groaned loudly in exasperation, dragging her fingers down her face. "Ash, how do you get yourself into these things?!"

While he was admittedly relieved she wasn't quite yelling -_yet_- Ash wasn't entirely sure what to say in regard to that. Though it didn't really matter, as before he had the chance to open his mouth to reply, Misty continued to speak.

"I mean .. really, Ash? When something happens, why does it always have to involve you? _Why?_" She sounded quite close to tears by the time she voiced the final word. "Every time! There's always _something_ and you have go and make it right, but, I .. I just - "

"Misty."

At the sound of her name, Misty's voice caught in her throat, as though the two syllables had triggered an 'off' switch to any sound she could make. She blinked a few times, only just realising how she'd begun to rant, before hesitantly, and almost reluctantly meeting Ash's eyes, her own shimmering with a layer of tears.

" .. please .. "

In that moment, just that one word was all it took for every last scrap of willpower to drain itself completely from Misty's body, leaving her with a weakened sensation radiating through her veins. "O .. okay," she murmured, loud enough only for Ash to hear. "I'll help you. Whatever you need, I'll do my best."

Faster than willpower was drained from Misty, relief began to surge through Ash's body, making him feel strangely light-hearted. "You'll help us," he had to voice it, to confirm it, and make sure that he wasn't living out some inexplicable hallucination.

One firm nod of Misty's head was all it took for him to separate a possible dream from reality.

"Yes," she confirmed, "yes. I don't care if I get in trouble for it, I'll help you with whatever you guys need." Her jade eyes flickered to the side, and she frowned a little as her gaze fell upon Gary. "But only if he quits berating me like I'm you."

Ash felt a muscle beneath his eye twitch, but supressed a protest by biting down on the inside of his cheeks. Now wasn't the time.

"Deal," came the researcher's reply, and for a split second, Ash could have sworn he saw Gary's lips curl up into his trademark smirk.

"And," the red head apparently wasn't finished, "you need to do _exactly_ as I say."

Had Gary truly been smirking, any trace of it was now gone. "Is there any particular reason for that?" He inquired, apparently keeping to his promise of not poking fun at her.

Though not in annoyance, Misty folded her arms across her chest. "Yes, there is," she said simply. "Because if you have any hope of making it through Cerulean City unnoticed, you're gonna need my help."

Gary raised a questioning eyebrow. "Please explain," he requested, but as Misty went to do just that, she quickly thought otherwise and shook her head.

"Not here," she said. "I wasn't kidding when I said there were a _lot_ of people out looking for you. The only reason they're not here is because not many of them want to encounter a Gyarados, trained or not." Even so, she quickly scanned the open area, but seemed to sense no one nearby. "The first thing we need to do is get back to the gym. Then we can talk."

"The gym?" Ash repeated, vaguely recalling the general layout of Cerulean; the gym being a main attraction and built fairly close to the main town. "Uh, how're we supposed to get in without being seen?"

Instead of an explanation, Misty waved her hand, brushing the comment aside. "You don't need to worry about being seen. Trust me," she said.

Ash would have normally pressed for details of the plan, but for whatever reason, his trust was in Misty on this. For him, it was enough. "Okay then," was all he said on the matter.

"Okay, but one thing's first; do either of you have any water pokémon on you?" Misty inquired, earning a questioning look from both boys, so she elaborated, "If you don't, then you're gonna have a bit of a hard time getting in."

"How, exactly?" Gary spoke up.

"Let's put it this way," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "there's no way you'll be able to get in through the front entrance, so you'll need to take the alternate route."

"Which would be?"

"About a year ago, there was an incident a few miles out in the ocean," she explained. "I won't go into detail right now, but a lot of water pokémon got sick because of it, and many of them got treated at the Cerulean Gym. But because we couldn't manage to keep bringing them in or releasing them at regular intervals, an underwater tunnel was built which leads from the ocean to the gym, so when the pokémon are well enough, they can go ahead and leave. If they ever feel sick again, they can come back."

A little past the mid-point of Misty's explanation was when a look of understanding touched Gary's eyes, but Ash was the one to voice the question they both wanted to ask;

"Wait .. are you saying that we need to get into the gym by going underwater?"

Misty have him a short nod. "That's exactly what I'm saying," she confirmed.

"Right," Gary mused, "so what happens afterwards?" At the twin looks of confusion he recieved, he elaborated, "We get to the gym, and then what? Unless you have some secret underground passage way that lead straight to Pallet somewhere beneath Cerulean, I don't see how your plan helps us out in anyway."

The way annoyance remained non-existent in Misty's features, Ash guessed she'd expected such a question. "Like you said, you two should wait until dark, and then keep going to Pallet. With the cover of night, you'll have a better chance of remaining undetected," she explained. "But even if someone notices you and puts up a chase, it's much easier to hide in the dark, so I doubt you'll have an awful lot of trouble in avoiding them."

Still a short distance away, Gary let out a breath of air. "Seems like a plan," he admitted. "That is, unless we get caught on our way in." He gave Misty a look. "Are you sure no one's monitoring the tunnel to the gym? It seems like an obvious thing to do."

But Misty shook her head. "You don't need to worry about that. Many of the water pokémon in the gym are getting strong enough to leave, and any interference could damage their confidence in making their decision to return to the wild. The construction of the tunnel was kept a secret, so it's unlikely it'll be found. Not to mention there's heavy security at the gym, so there's no way they'd be able to cause any trouble," she reassured. "Trust me on this; your only trouble is getting to the entrance of the tunnel unnoticed."

Gary raised an eyebrow, clearly sceptical. "You're sure about that?"

Again, she nodded. "You can trust me," she repeated. "Though you never answered my question: do you have any water pokémon on you?"

"One," Gary replied, "a Blastoise."

At that, Misty's brow tightened in thought. "I'm not sure if a Blastoise will fit," she said. "The tunnel was designed for smaller pokémon, since the facility in the gym isn't large enough for bigger pokémon, like the Gyarados .. but it doesn't matter. You just wait by the entrance, and I'll send some through for you, alright?"

Ash nodded in unison with Gary, then asked, "Exactly how big is the tunnel?"

"If you're worried about getting stuck, then there's no point," Misty said, picking up on the implication. "It was made large enough for several people to get through, just in case there was an incident one of us needed to attend to. All for safety reasons."

Gary gave a slow nod. "Yeah .. of course."

_Intuition_

"Uh, Gary, are you sure this is a good idea?" Ash questioned, gingerly leaning over the cliff's edge whilst holding onto a nearby tree branch. The waves below seemed calm enough, but when looking down from a twenty foot drop, it suddenly threw everything out of it's proper perspective.

Beside him, Gary sighed. "Positive," he said. "As long as you don't freak out and cause Officer Jenny to come running over, everything will be fine."

Though Ash frowned at the comment, he refused to take the bait. "Yeah, because that's what I do," he muttered under his breath.

Certain that the comment hadn't intended to be loud enough for him to hear, Gary chose not to reply, instead rolling his eyes. "Hurry up," he said, reaching a hand out to Ash to help the other back onto Skarmory. The steel-type was already tired, but since Fearow had taken over the responsibility of flying halfway through the journey, he'd had several hours to recover. Besides, Gary wasn't planning on making him fly a great distance.

Bringing himself out of his thoughts, Ash took the offered hand, easily managing to climb up Skarmory's outstretched wing to sit behind Gary once again.

"Hold on," the researcher said, prompting Ash to wrap his arms around Gary's waist, "if you fall, then it's your own fault."

Ash shifted slightly behind him. "Noted," came the verbal response. His grip automatically tightened as Skarmory outstretched both wings, moving closer to the edge of the cliff.

Before long, Skarmory was air borne, smoothly gliding through the air and circling round as he neared the surface of the water below. He came to a rather abrupt halt just before his metal claws touched the very tips of the waves, hovering above the surface as Gary unclipped a poké ball from his belt. In a flash of red tinted light, his Blastoise materialised, floating easily in the water.

"_Blaaast_," came the giant turtle's growl, manoeuvring his body so that the back of his shell was above the waves, acting as a makeshift raft.

"You first, Ash," the researcher spoke, resizing Blastoise's poké ball and clipping it back onto his belt.

"'Kay," the trainer responded, withdrawing his arms a little so that he was instead holding onto Gary's jacket. He shifted back as far as he could, carefully swinging both legs over to one side.

His head still above the water, Blastoise swam closer to Skarmory, enough so that Ash could rest the sole of his foot against the turtle's shell. With a half hearted jump, Ash pushed himself off the metal bird and onto Blastoise's back, landing in a crouch, and resting both hands on the turtle to steady himself.

"I'm okay," Ash confirmed once he'd managed to sit down and remain steady. "Your turn."

It wasn't long before Gary joined him, his arm around Ash to steady them both. He quickly recalled Skarmory, clipping the poké ball back onto his belt.

Having previously gone through the procedure, Blastoise swam closer to the cliff's edge while keeping his head underwater, taking them as close to the underwater tunnel as he could.

"So," Ash spoke up as this was going on, "I guess now we wait, huh?"

Gary gave a half hearted shrug. "It would seem so," he said, retaining his hold on the younger.

For several minutes, they did just that, in utter silence. Blastoise kept in his position during the whole while, his head continuously under the water and keeping a watch out for whatever pokémon Misty sent through.

"Hey, Gary?" The raven eventually asked, breaking the double-sided silence that had settled in. He saw Gary raise an eyebrow, inviting him to go on, and continued, "What are you expecting when we get back?"

The question seemed to throw Gary off guard for a few moments, but he quickly regained his composure. "As in, what answers do I think we'll get? If we get any?"

Ash tilted his head a little. "It's just that I've been thinking," he shifted again, his expression one of discomfort, "we've both been wanting to find out what's going on, but I've never actually thought about .. well, what could actually be going on, y'know?"

Though Gary had a fairly good idea of what the younger meant, he requested for Ash to elaborate.

"For the past few days, it's been all I can think about. But I've never really put thought into what's going on," he admitted, looking hesitant for a while before continuing, "I keep replaying that night in my mind, but .. I haven't really thought about what that thing could be. Or why it did that." He blinked a few times, sienna eyes then looking up into emerald. "Professor Rowan said we're both involved in this. But how? What did we do? I don't get it."

For what had to be at least a full minute, neither teenager spoke, or even moved.

Ash felt frozen in place by Gary's stare, though emerald eyes were clouded over in thought. Gary seemed completely unfocused, possibly oblivious to his surroundings, maybe even Ash himself, but however glazed his eyes were, they still pierced Ash's, holding the younger still.

Gary's lips parted at some point, but no sound came out before they closed once again. He seemed almost incapable of speaking for a long while, before he cleared his throat. " .. really," he eventually managed to say, "I don't know what to expect."

When those emerald eyes flickered away from his own, Ash felt all sense of movement gradually return to his body. "What do you think we should do?" He asked quietly. "I mean .. for all we know Professor Oak won't tell us anything. There's no guarantee, right?"

In a mild jolt of surprise, Gary actually seemed to agree with what Ash said. "Yeah, I know," he responded. "But I'm not waiting around for answers. Even if this whole trip turns out to be a bust, at least I won't be beating myself up for not trying."

Despite his words and air of determination, Ash could see the flicker of conflict dancing through those clouded emerald eyes. He offered a small smile of encouragement. "Whatever happens, I'm in this with you," he offered.

There was hesitance, then Gary slowly turned to face his former rival. No words were spoken for a long while, but Gary's eyes were questioning, calculating; searching for answers he couldn't find hidden deep within sienna eyes.

From the edge of his vision, Ash could see Gary's lips part, the researcher's expression suggesting he had something to say, when;

"_'Solaa ~ _"

In unison, both Ash and Gary turned automatically towards the source of the sound, their gazes simultaneously falling upon the pink corral pokémon beaming up at them from a few feet away. A second pokémon, blur of gold moving around swiftly beneath the surface, soon emerged next to Corsola with a short cry of;

"_Hyaah!_"

"Looks like this is our ride," Gary noted, as the two water pokémon splashed about playfully. "You ready?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah," he said, being the first to lower himself into the water, holding onto Corsola, who thankfully stayed still for his benefit.

Gary quickly followed Ash, the cool water soaking him completely as he partially submerged himself. He recalled Blastoise, while holding onto Staryu with his free hand.

"Can we both fit?" Ash asked off-handedly. When Gary gave him a questioning look, he elaborated, "Misty said the tunnel was big enough for us to fit through, but do you think we can both go together, or is it single file?"

Gary quirked an eyebrow, then shrugged. "There's one way to find out," he said. "You stay here, I'll be right back."

Before Ash could answer, Gary was gone.

With Staryu leading him through the water, Gary observed the rough wall of rock before him. He scanned the area for a short while, locating a generously sized opening, so discreetly carved it was easily missable. It was definitely large enough for them to freely swim through, but maybe not side by side. Though it wasn't like the latter fact was a drawback. It was definitely made for fairly small water pokémon, perhaps as wide as a Wartortle was tall.

Nodding to the starfish pokémon, Gary was swiftly pulled to the surface, emerging beside Ash.

"So, is it?" The trainer questioned, as Gary drew in several deep breaths.

"We'll have to go single file," the researcher responded. "I'll go first," he added to the pokémon by extension, who both gave their own variation of a nod. "Just make sure you can hold your breath for as long as you can. I have no idea how far it goes."

"Alright, then," Ash said, adjusting his grip on two of Corsola's pink horns. "Are you ready to go now?"

Once he was certain his breath was back to normal, Gary nodded. "Take several deep breaths, okay? It helps," he advised. Then, after doing just that he ducked his head underwater.

Staryu easily navigated through the water, despite the extra weight it was pulling. A quick glance behind him, and Gary could see Ash not too far behind him, moving at a similar speed thanks to the corral pokémon.

Despite being underwater, and potentially out of any direct source of light, the tunnel was quite well lit. As Staryu lead him carefully through, Gary brushed his palm against the rocky edges. His vision was blurred and his eyes stung a little from the salty water, but if he were to squint, he could make out the white, crystal casings spread out, jutting through the rocks. He'd seen it many times before in the past; crystallised minerals. If placed near a steady source of light, they would reflect it. That solved the mystery of why it was dimly lit when it should be almost pitch black.

But that wasn't Gary's main concern. The last time he'd been to Cerulean, he'd noticed that the gym was close to the shore line, but he'd never attempted to work out the time and distance when travelling underwater. His point being, it had been nearly half a minute, and the need for air was becoming a conscious battle.

If Staryu knew this, it hadn't yet reacted. But when it felt Gary subconsciously grip onto it tighter, the message came loud and clear. The exit point wasn't much further ahead, but Staryu was aware that humans could not hold their breath for longer than a minute, and Gary was beginning to struggle to reach that feet. Not to mention, Staryu wasn't willing to have the guilt of accidently letting a human lingering on it's conscience.

Swimming faster, Staryu could see the light becoming stronger as the tunnel went on, and before much longer, the dark water became clear and bright.

From what Gary could make out through his vision, he could vaguely tell that wherever he was, it seemed to be a large, glass tank. Not too different from an aquarium.

"You guys made it through okay, then," he heard Misty speak as he broke through the surface of the water. He opted against giving an immediate reply in favour of breathing in deeply, the need for oxygen having become all the more notable.

Beside him, he heard a similar sound, only Ash seemed to be coughing. He'd probably inhaled a few moments too early.

"Yeah, thanks for that," Gary replied, his breathing heavy, but at a steady pace. He wiped the salt water from his eyes, blinking a few times to clear his vision.

"No problem," Misty responded. He felt her take hold of his arm, pulling him towards the edge of the tank, then pressing a towel into his hand. "I'm sorry there wasn't a more convenient option, but best to take what you can get."

"Could be worse," Gary replied, drying his face, then allowing himself to look up at the red head, whose gaze wad directed to the middle of the tank. Looking round, he saw Ash, temporarily blinded by the salt water, but managing to swim his way towards the sound of their voices.

Once he'd reached his destination, Misty handed him a second towel. "Are you okay, Ash?" She inquired, to which he nodded.

"I'm fine," he said, his own vision soon restored. He pulled the towel away, blinking several times, but he was able to focus on Misty, who smiled. "But where are we?" He added, looking around the room they were in. There were several more tanks, each leading to a separate pool of water. The rest of the décor strongly suggested it was a place to treat pokémon, bearing similarities to a place Ash recalled visiting with Misty whilst in Johto.

"This is where it all happens," Misty said, gazing around the room, which was devoid of humans other than the three of them. "The doctors are helping a group of baby Horsea in learning to swim. Because of what's affecting the other water pokémon, it seems to have impaired their natural ability to survive in large bodies of water. We need to teach them right from the start." She explained all of this in a relatively casual tone, but there was a glint in her jade eyes that betrayed the grief she was feeling.

"That's terrible," Ash commented, feeling bad about the whole thing. Especially when seeing how it was taking it's toll on one of his best friends.

But true to nature, Misty put on a brave, and convincing smile. "It will work out. It doesn't seem to be fatal, and the team of doctors are making progress in finding the source and creating a cure," she said, though in a tone that suggested she was trying to assure herself rather than Ash.

"There's positivity," Gary spoke up. "But before anything else happens, would it be too much to ask to get out of here?" He indicated to the pool of water he and Ash were still mostly submerged in.

Whether or not it was meant as a distraction, it seemed to work for Misty. Her jade eyes lit up a little, breaking out of her momentary show of depression. She then got to work, helping them out one at a time, and passing them both a change of clothes.

"Nothing special," she commented, "I would have been better prepared, but since I didn't know you were going to be here - "

"It's fine, Misty," Gary assured. "Like you said, we'll take the options we have."

The red head smiled. "I can have your clothes dried for when you leave, if that helps," she offered.

"Wouldn't want to leave any evidence," he said, but his tone hinting that he was joking.

Misty must have caught it, if her smile was anything to go by.

_Intuition_

Mid afternoon rolled by several hours later, which was around the time aspiring young trainers stormed through Cerulean City with high hopes of gaining their next badge. Misty was occupied with the seemingly unending battles, each one ending in defeat for the younger trainers, while the more experienced ones had more luck. By the tenth battle that day, she'd handed out only one badge.

How Ash knew this was because he'd found one way to counter his boredom; he'd ended up in the room showing all of the security footage, several showing the main arena for gym battles. If he could get past the fact that it was Misty on one side of the pool, he'd have easily allowed himself to believe that he was watching an official league match at the Indigo Plateau. Then again, even against one of the Elite Four, the opposing trainers would be more talented than the young ones vying for their next badge to qualify for said league.

Ash sighed, watching as the latest trainer's Tangela got all but fried by a Flamethrower from Misty's Gyarados. There was a thought; he never did get an answer as to how she managed to capture it. He recalled asking her once a few years back, but given the situation, it wasn't much of a surprise than he'd been left without an answer.

Back to the battle, Gyarados was now up against a male Nidoran, who couldn't have been at a very high level, even with his young trainer out of the equation. However, Ash was impressed at how it refused to be intimidated by the enormous water pokémon, and even more so when he witnessed it's attack; biting down on Gyarados' tail, then emitting an electric shock.

That was news to him; he wasn't aware that Nidoran could use electric attack, though really it was because he hadn't put much thought into the matter. He'd never caught a Nidoran, nor become particularly close with anyone who did, so it wasn't often that such a pokémon would cross his mind.

Gyarados was struggling now. However low powered the attack may have been, having been dealt underwater, and with the exhaustion of dominating several battles before that one, clearly the water pokémon was feeling the weight of it taking its toll. Even so, it stayed firm, and with a well aimed Hydro Pump, the feisty young Nidoran was out of the game, giving Misty the win.

"How can you stand just sitting there and watching tv all day?" Came a voice by the door. Ash diverted his eyes in the correct direction, seeing Gary standing there. "It would help to do more productive things, surely?"

Ash sighed again, falling back into his chair, which wasn't all that comfortable. There hadn't been much of a choice on the matter. "I'm bored," he said simply. To him, it summed things up perfectly. But instead of the usual jibe he had expected from his former rival, Ash was puzzled when Gary just rolled his eyes in response.

"Whatever you say, Ashy," he said, turning to leave. He paused when he heard Ash speak up.

"So what have you been doing?"

Gary gazed over his shoulder at the raven haired trainer, who sat with his almost trademark expression; a mixture of curiosity with a hint of determination. The look Ash got when his mind was set in gaining an answer. Turns out he really was bored. No surprises there.

"Watching the news," he replied.

Ash tilted his head slightly, his curiosity fuelled. "Why?"

Normally Gary would have full on explained, but since he knew his own boredom would not be sated in doing so, he opted for the easy way out. "See for yourself," he said, indicating to down the hall. As he left, he heard Ash stand up and follow him, coming to a stop in the living room of Misty's apartment, built as an extension to the gym.

The television was on, the sound low. The images were of various, everyday media; traffic reports, the migration of the band of Corsola - nothing particularly special.

"Notice anything out of the ordinary?" Gary questioned, sensing the younger trainer's unspoken question.

"Not really," Ash responded, shrugging a little. "Is there something I should be seeing?"

Gary sighed, his eyes still fixated on the screen. "Gramps isn't exactly being subtle," he noted. "There's a Jenny in each report."

With the news in mind, Ash turned back to watch. This time, he saw it. Though disguised, he could easily spot the turquoise hair and stern posture of each hidden Jenny now he knew what to look for. "He's really worried, isn't he?" Ash mused. The feeling of guilt from earlier began to swell in his chest again; he just hoped they would be able to get back before anything drastic happened.

"He worries way too much," was all Gary said, picking up the discarded remote to switch the television off.

"I feel kinda bad, though," Ash admitted, his eyes downcast. The urge to call home and assure the professor that they were alive and healthy was beginning to nag at him. But even he could see how much that would complicate things on their end.

Beside him, Gary scoffed lightly. "I'm sure he'll get over it," he said, then turned away to walk out of the room and down the hall.

"Are you mad at him?"

The bluntness of the question made Gary freeze in mid-step. He stared at the far wall ahead of him for a moment, the implication sinking in. "What makes you think that?" He asked, deciding not to look back.

"You seem mad," was Ash's simple response.

This time, Gary really did turn around. "You don't think I have a reason to be?"

Sienna eyes blinked a few times. "I think you have a reason," his voice was sincere, "but you're forgetting that he wants to protect you." The horrid memory began to resurface in his mind; fear, pain and malice mixing into one torturous blur. Clearly Professor Oak knew exactly what was going on, and no doubt the possibility of such a thing happening to his only grandson sparked fear within him.

There was silence for a long minute, during which emerald green stared into burnt sienna.

"I know," Gary eventually spoke, his voice uncharacteristically quiet, "I just try not to think about it."

"But .. why?" Confusion laced Ash's tone.

Gary sighed, running a hand through his spiked hair. "Because I know I'll feel guilty for it," he replied, "and that means I'll want to call him and let him know we're here. But if I actually did, he'd ship us both to the opposite side of the world before we had the time to blink. All while denying us anything."

Again, Ash found himself staring, his voice refusing to function.

Realising this, Gary shrugged. "That's why," he finished. But when he turned to leave once again, the trainer's voice reached him.

" .. yeah, I feel bad, too."

A handful of seconds drifted by, the ticking of the clock on the wall being the only source of sound during that while, echoing ominously in the otherwise silence of the room.

"Right," was the last thing Gary said, before he promptly left the room.

_Intuition_

* * *

**Author's Note:** Wanna know what guaranteed the update for today? T'was **NightLightNeon**! I was so happy you updated, and after reading the latest chapter, I suddenly felt motivated to finish my own. Eternal thanks to you! And let me soothe your worries; however unlikely it seems now, this shall be Palletshipping. And a healthy relationship at that. Trust me ~

Also, quick question - by raise of hands, who likes **Preciousmetalshipping**? I'm replaying Soul Silver, and it's renewed my obsession! It's also gonna be the main pairing for my next overly ambitious fic. Which won't be for a while .. I draw the line at writing two at the same time.

On a final note, it was fun writing Misty and Gary arguing! Though admittedly I felt SO mean making Ash the focus of it all. Just seems like the kinda thing they'd do, y'know? That, and halfway through it hit me that there was literally no point to their little 'discussion' anymore xD


End file.
